Heartbeat
by Hallow Eve
Summary: Memories always fade. So do the memories of loved ones. What if Rose had met the Doctor before she was supposed to? Would she remember him? Rose/Ten.Rose/Nine.
1. Help

_David Tennant will always be my Doctor :)_

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Some days were more interesting than others. But then again some days were more than boring.

Rose grabbed the smooth plastic packaging and tore the bag open, pulling out the long sleeved pink t-shirts. It was already getting chilly outside andit was time to show off their new winter wear at Henrik's.

Of course, putting them on display would be her job, she thought bitterly.

It wasn't that she didn't like her job. Well, actually she didn't, but then again, who does? Her job paid pretty well by the hour and that was more than she could ask for, having dropped out of school. But sometimes she just felt like something was missing….

" Rose, I ain't paying ya to nod off." She started and turned around only to come face to face with her boss.

" Yeah, sorry sir, wasn't feelin' too well," she lied, giving a fake smile.

He glowered at her. " Well, then get back to it." He turned and strode to the elevator.

She watched as he entered and the doors closed and heard a mechanical whirr as it ascended. She bit her lip and turned to the boxes once more. She gazed at all the different colors of tightly wrapped blouses and jackets.

" Right. Purple and blue," she muttered, grabbing a few packages, " and… pink."

Carrying several of each kind, she made her way to the elevator doors, looking to the side of the small tower of clothes so she wouldn't trip. Balancing them on one arm for a second, she reached out and pushed the button with the small faded yellow arrow above it. She tried to shift her arm back to the pile in time but it was too late. A few shirts slid off the top to fall on the floor; each landing with its own _thump_. Suddenly, the whole pile tipped to the side and tumbled out of her arms. Huffing and tucking her hair behind her ears in irritation, she bent and gathered up the packages. She heard a ding and glanced over her shoulder to see the elevator doors open.

" Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Almost automatically it seemed, the doors began to slide closed. Quickly snatching the last few and tucking them under her arm, she managed to step in right before they closed. She stood there trying to balance them all and listened to the slow music oozing from the speakers. The doors slid open with a faint _ding_ and she stepped out. Immediately she was shoved roughly and she stumbled back, her load once more slipping from her arms to lay scattered on the tile floor.

" Hey watch where you're goin' will ya?" She stared at the young man who had pushed her with shock. He looked like a teenager, wearing faded blue jeans and a holey shirt. He scowled at her and ran a hand through his short, sandy blond hair. Turning his back to her, he stalked off and she could hear him muttering about her under his breath.

Trying to assure herself that she was fine, she bent down and started to gather the packages when she felt someone next to her, helping her. She turned her head and saw a pretty blonde woman next to her.

What was her name? Maria? Something with an M but she couldn't remember. Trying to be inconspicuous about it, she reached for one of the packages on the other side of the woman, trying to catch a glance at her name tag.

"My name's Michelle."

She looked up from the tag and saw that Michelle was grinning.

" Sorry and thanks. You don't need to help me though I've got it."

Michelle's grin grew wider and Rose could see why. Glancing at her arms you could see she was already holding more than half of the fallen blouses.

" It's no problem, love."

They both stood and Michelle shifted her half into Rose's arms. " Your new here, aren't you?", she said, brushing off her ruffled brown skirt and tugging at the bottom of her white short-sleeved dress shirt, she smoothed her hair and smiled. Rose smiled back as she answered. " Yes, ma'am."

"What's your name?"

"Rose."

"Well, Rose, don't let blokes like that get the best of you. Working here you get more than your fair share of men like that."

She smiled once more. " How old are you, Rose?"

" I turn eighteen in a month."

" Really?" She sounded surprised as she gazed at her. Rose nodded, wishing briefly that she could rest her arms for a bit. "Well then it was nice meeting you , Rose, but you best be getting back to work. And you might want to be careful. Sometimes we get creeps in here and they always go after the pretty ones. Especially if they're young."

"I will."

She watched as Michelle turned and walked to the front of the store, her brown high heels clicking against the floor.

She walked to the small counter by the elevator, being especially careful that nothing else should fall. Putting the pink shirts aside she opened the rest, chucking the plastic in a small trash can next to her. She arranged them into piles. Blue, pink, and purple.

Grabbing the pink pile first, she took off, walking towards the middle of the store where a big display of winter clothes had been carefully arranged. She laid them out on the table, patting them to make sure there were no wrinkles. Picking up the yellow tank tops from the display she made her way through the crowd of customers. When she reached the counter she laid them down before making her way back into the crowd, trying to avoid the large groups of people.

She stopped near the back of the store and breathed a sigh of relief. There were hardly any people back here. They were too busy milling around the colorful clothes by the front where large red banners proclaimed various sales.

Picking off a few empty hangers from the stand she was next to, she laid some shirts that had fallen onto the floor onto the bottom of a shelf next to her. Picking one up, she slid it onto the hanger and put it back on the pole. Bending over, she stretched her hand out to grab the next one when she felt something, feather light, caress her backside. She jumped and spun around to see a large man standing behind her, leering at her.

" Well, hullo there, sweetheart," he said in an oily sweet voice.

"Can I help you with something?" she replied, biting her lip and edging away from him slowly. He grinned at her and she felt scared all of a sudden. He was large and looked strong . He was wearing a business suit but the tie was knotted clumsily at his neck and his collar was rumpled. She caught a whiff of alcohol. She wanted to bolt to the front of the store and scream for help, but he would probably grab her and drag her back before she could say anything.

Trying to keep him in her line of vision she glanced to the side. No good, everyone was too busy ogling the fashions to look her way. Where was Michelle?

The man suddenly loomed in front of her, sneering at her. "Why, I think you could."

His arms shot out and his hands gripped the metal pipe of the stand, trapping her between them. He pressed himself against her and she gagged as she felt his erection press against her hip. She turned her head away when he attempted to kiss her.

"Oh , come on love, don't be that way." His breath reeked of alcohol and she coughed. His hand gripped her chin so hard she could tell there would be bruises. He twisted her face towards his own as she struggled, her hands clawing at his arm.

" There's no one can help you, love," he growled and abruptly smashed his lips against hers, their teeth clashing painfully.

Oh god, why wasn't anyone helping her? His hands slid over her breasts, fondling her through the thin material of her blouse. Tears formed in her eyes and her face grew red from frustration and lack of oxygen. His hand slipped and she wrenched her head away, gasping for air and trying, unsuccessfully, to push him away. He grinned at her and, one hand gripping her arm tightly, started to undo his belt. Her mind was a haze of panic. Surely he wasn't going to rape her right here where everyone could see?

"I think you'll find you're wrong about that."

A hand enclosed around the man's wrist, pulling him away from her. She stumbled back, half falling into the clothes rack and gripping the pole behind her. A young man was glaring at the businessman, his hand clenched so tightly around his wrist that his knuckles were white.

He had messy brown hair and large brown eyes and was wearing a white dress shirt that was drenched with rain. Odd; It was so sunny outside. His hair was dripping slightly and he was wearing blue pin-striped slacks.

" Get out of here."

His teeth were gritted from anger and his eyes shone with a dark rage that even she shuddered to see. He shoved the man away and he stumbled, glaring at first him then her.

"Whore," he muttered, turning away and staggering off.

" Are you alright?"

Her rescuer stood in front of her gazing at her with concern.

" Yeah, 'm fine."

Relived, she pushed herself away from the rack and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. She buried her face in his shoulder. He smelled like ancient books and something else that she couldn't quite place that was comforting and familiar somehow.

"Good." He pulled back from her, smiling softly at her. His right hand reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He put his arm behind his back and she heard a whirring sound. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the drunken businessman trip and pitch forward, slamming into the ground and cursing heavily.

"Thank you, really," she said, turning her attention back to him.

" It was my pleasure." He was still smiling, but it seemed diminished; sad somehow. She tugged at her shirt nervously before smiling at him. "I'm Rose."

"Lovely to meet you, Rose." He gave a little laugh.

"What's your name?" she asked.

His smile faded away completely and he gazed at her intensely. " Oh, my name's not important, really."

She brushed her hair from her eyes as she looked him up and down. She hadn't really noticed before but he was really cute. Handsome, even. Immediately she fought to keep from blushing. After a long moment he cleared his throat and looked away, as though breaking off from some thought.

" Best be off then, places to see, people to meet an' all that." He took one last long look at her and his hand came up and tucked her hair behind her ear, brushing across her cheek. Turning away, he started to walk towards the exit.

" Would you like to go out?" she blurted, flushing.

He turned back to her, looking astonished. " What?"

"Would you like to go somewhere with me? To, um, thank you and all. I mean we could go on a date, you know. That is, if you want to."

His mouth twisted up into a rueful smile. " I can't."

" Oh. Okay, then." She turned around, trying to look busy with the clothes. Before she could lose her nerve she turned back and called out to him. " I get off at five if you change your mind." She bit her lip as he turned, holding the door open, and gave her a wave, grinning slightly. She watched as he left and rounded the corner.

Sighing, she turned back to the clothes and smiled.

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_Should I continue? Review and let me know. Tell me what you thought. _

_Also in case your confused:_

_The idea for this just kind of came to me. One day I was thinking what if Rose had met the Doctor before she had actually met him? What if he goes to see her after dropping her and the human doctor off in the parallel world? He knows he shouldn't but he wants to see her one last time. So he goes back to before she had ever met him. But Rose had never told him that one day at work she was asaulted and her friend Michelle had almost been too late in saving her. What if after a visit he never sees her again? She goes back to work, same old life, day in and day out, blurring into a monotonous routine. And then she meets the Doctor and is constantly, or almost, busy trying to fight off creatures and stay alive while helping him. And then he regenerates. Would she remember and what would she do?_

_Song I was listening to : Heartbeat by Scouting for Girls._


	2. Timelines

_Well another chapter go me. ^^ I thought about making a sequel from the Doctors point of view but not everyone reads them so I figured I might as well just tell his side while I'm at it. Also if your bored I recommend going to see Coraline. It was brilliant. Review please! Let me know what you think and if I made any errors._

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He leaned against the console, ignoring how cold he felt from the rain soaked through his crisp white dress shirt. It dripped from his hair and ran into his eyes. A drop ran from his eye down his cheek. And he would never admit that it was anything but rainwater.

He would have liked to tell himself that the reason he was so miserable was because Donna had left.

_I was gonna be with you forever. Rest of my life traveling. The Doctor Donna._

It was funny in a way. All the companions that promised him forever were always taken away from him.

But it had torn him apart inside to know what was happening to her and knowing what he would have to do to save her.

_Do you know what's happening?_

How he wished he would never have had to say those words.

And he had saved her life.

The only way he could.

By erasing everything of him from it.

In a way he supposed they were both lucky. He would never have to watch her decay. Never have to see long fiery locks of hair turn gray. Never see her skin grow leathery and wrinkled. Never see the twinkle leave her eyes.

And she could have everything he never could; a house, a family, a lover.

But he was also cursed. He would forever remember her as he did for all his companions. When he would walk around the Tardis the memory of her would creep upon him. He would look at a certain object and remember the time she had held it. He would stare at a door and remember her leaning against it as he fiddled with the controls of the Tardis. Would be running from monsters or solving a puzzle and wonder what she would say if she were with him.

All of his companions eventually walked away.

But they never left him.

And that was the reason he was so broken up inside, he told himself firmly. It was not because Rose was gone forever. After all, he had wanted to send her to the parallel world. To finally give her everything that she deserved that he himself couldn't give.

But it had still hurt far more than it should have when she had kissed _him_.

Pushing himself away from the controls, he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, shaking off some droplets. He walked around the controls, turning a lever or pushing a button and trying to ignore the pressing silence broken only by his own quiet footsteps.

Where should he go next?

A flash of memory: _he saw her staring at him, holding a plastic arm and looking bewildered._

"_I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"_

"_Rose."_

"_Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life."_

_He shook the remote at her to emphasize his point and saw her eyes widen._

What was the name of the store she had worked at? Henrik's?

He shook his head, angry with himself. He should slap himself for even thinking he could....

But the possibility ran through his mind, automatically working itself out into a fully developed plan. There would be no problems if he was careful enough and chose the right time line ,but still. He ran a hand through his hair once more, brushing back the fringe and keeping it back. It was wrong. Though her life was not a fixed point in time the consequences of his actions could have disastrous repercussions on them both. While he thought about it he was vaguely aware that he was walking around the console, setting the coordinates for twenty first century London, Earth.

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Stepping out of the Tardis into the bustling street in London, he felt the warm sunshine beating down on him and told himself that he was only going to look at her one last time. Watch her for a while then leave. As a sort of goodbye to her. And she would never know.

Locking the doors behind him he shoved the key into his pocket next to his sonic screwdriver. He walked down the street, glancing at the various shops when a bright banner over a large store caught his attention. He smiled slightly when he recognized it. But of course he would, after all, he had blown it up.

He peered through the window, his eyes anxiously seeking out familiar blond locks and brown eyes, but saw none. His eyes flicked to the side of the store towards the back and he felt his hearts stop when he saw elevator doors open and she stepped out. She was younger than he had ever seen her but only by a year or two. He had made sure to pick a time earlier from her meeting him or there would be too much of a chance that he would run into himself and cause a panic. Not to mention alter the timelines which was a big no no.

His eyes roamed her body, memorizing everything while she struggled to hold on to a pile of shirts and jackets. She was wearing a light pink shirt with a silver star flying across the front and blue faded jeans. On her wrist were leather and silver bracelets and at her neck was a silver necklace, a small silver rose dangling from the chain.

He smiled a little at that. He had never seen her wear it before.

Her blond hair was down, the ends just brushing her shoulders, her bangs clipped back. She stepped from the elevator and he sucked in a breath when she bumped into a scrawny teenage boy who pushed her. She stumbled back and the clothes fell from her arms. The boy was saying something to her and he saw her mouth pop open in surprise, her eyebrows raised incredulously. He shoved his hands in his pockets and resisted the urge to go inside and scare the kid away. He could not interfere.

No matter what happened.

He watched the boy walk off and saw Rose sigh, bending down to retrieve the clothes. A woman walked over to her and helped her gather them. Rose reached for a plastic wrapped shirt on the other side of the woman and he saw her squinting at something on the lady's chest. A name tag maybe? But then the girl turned her head toward Rose and he saw her flush as though embarrassed. They both stood up, having gathered all the clothing, and the girl pushed her half into Rose's arms, smiling at her. They talked, both smiling, and then the girl walked away towards the front doors where he was.

Shifting his attention off her, his eyes sought out Rose again and he momentarily panicked when he could not find her in the busy crowd.

He was relieved more than he should have been to see her at a counter near the elevator doors, ripping off the plastic wrapping from the clothes and sorting them. He inched closer to the doors, wondering if it might just be easier to go inside rather than stand outside, gazing through the windows and earning himself questioning stares from the shoppers inside. He was next to the door when a man bumped into him, knocking him to the side.

Rubbing his arm, he stared after the man, slightly angry. But the man stumbled through the door, immediately walking into a mannequin and very nearly knocking it down. The man had a glazed look on his sweaty face and it was obvious, even from a distance, that he was intoxicated. His business suit was rumpled and his short blond hair was in sticking up oddly in places.

"Excuse me."

Startled, he looked to the side and saw the girl who had helped Rose standing next to him, grinning at him. She swept her long blond hair behind her shoulder as she looked him up and down.

" I noticed you were looking through the window for a while. Can I help you with anything?"

She smiled at him invitingly. The corners of his mouth twitched up into a small smile. " No thank you. Just looking."

Looking disappointed by his answer she smoothed her skirt over her thighs and, with one last sultry look at him, turned and walked back through the door. His eyes immediately scanned the crowd for Rose once more and what he saw nearly stopped his hearts again.

The drunken businessman had her crushed against the clothing rack at the back of the store, his arms on either side of her blocking any escape. A crowd of girls moved in front of them, cutting off his view. They were giggling, ogling a flashy shirt. He craned his head this way and that trying desperately to see Rose.

Finally the girls moved away and he felt rage bubble inside him at what they revealed. The man was gripping Rose's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. She was clawing at his arm desperately in an attempt to get him to release her.

The Doctor bared his teeth in a silent snarl and reached for the handle of the door.

_You can't interfere. No matter what happens._

He hated the voice of reason right now but he forced himself to take a deep breath and stepped back, glaring through the windows.

Why had Rose never told him about this? Was he overreacting? Was someone going to kick the man out of the store soon?

But then Rose glanced toward the front of the store, just for a second, and he saw the fear in her eyes, the helplessness. In a flash he was through the doors, pushing people aside as he walked determinedly toward them.

He was close enough that he heard the man growl, " There's no one can help you, love."

He watched the man smash his lips against Rose's and saw her face contort with anguish. He was burning with anger when he saw the man fondling her and her trying to fight him off, her face red and tears in her eyes.

"I think you'll find you're wrong about that."

He grabbed the man's wrist and hauled him off her, gripping so tightly he felt something give slightly beneath his fingers.

Good, he thought savagely. The bastard probably wouldn't feel it until he was sober.

"Get out of here," he spat through gritted teeth.

He shoved the man away and watched with pleasure as he stumbled, almost falling. The man glared at him, his gaze traveling to Rose. "Whore", he heard him mutter under his breath. He turned, swaying, and walked away unsteadily.

He was in front of Rose in the next second, gazing at her, concerned. Her eyes were wide and dilated with fear. She didn't respond when he moved, making him wonder if she had gone into shock.

"Are you alright?"

She blinked and her gaze focused on him.

"Yeah, 'm fine."

Pushing herself away from the rack, she flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt her bury her face in his shoulder. His arms went around her back, returning the familiar gesture. He pressed his face to her hair, inhaling the comforting smell of her.

"Good."

He pulled back, smiling down at her. Not taking his eyes off her, he reached into his pocket and grabbed the sonic screwdriver. Angling it in his hand so Rose wouldn't see, he held it behind his back, pressing a button. It buzzed to life in his hand and he saw Rose's face crinkle into confusion as she heard the whirring noise. Behind him he heard a thump and cursing.

"Thank you, really." Her breath was still shaky but she stared up at him, looking relieved.

"It was my pleasure," he replied truthfully, but he struggled to keep the smile pasted on his face.

She tugged on her shirt and grinned up at him.

"I'm Rose."

"Lovely to meet you, Rose." He couldn't help but laugh. After all, how many times can someone be introduced for the first time?

"What's your name?"

Her voice was filled with curiosity but he felt his smile fade completely as he gazed at her.

He watched her brush a few strands of hair from her eyes and saw her gaze travel down his body. A blush was creeping into her cheeks when she looked back in his eyes.

Well, that was new. Immediately his mind traveled down different possibilities but he cleared his throat and glanced away. No need to go there.

"Best be off then, places to be, people to see an' all that." He stared into her warm brown eyes as his hand came up to tuck her hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing across her smooth skin.

_Goodbye._

He turned and started to walk away from her for what would be the first and last time.

"Would you like to go out?"

Astonished at what he had heard, he paused and turned back to her, wondering if he had finally lost his mind. "What?"

Her face was flushed and she nibbled on her bottom lip nervously.

"Would you like to go somewhere with me? To, um, thank you and all. I mean we could go on a date, you know. That is if you want to."

He smiled as she tripped over her words. How he wished he could say yes and be the normal man she thought he was.

"I can't."

"Oh." She looked hurt by his rejection and turned her back to him, fiddling with the clothes on the rack.

He sighed and walked to the door. He had just opened it when he heard her call out, "I get off at five if you change your mind."

He looked back at her, grinning slightly, and gave a half-hearted wave.

Stepping outside, he rounded the corner quickly, arguing with himself on all the reasons he should not be waiting at the front of the store at five.

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_Wow. You know for some reason it was incredably difficult writing this. Probably because I've written it before. Not too much to work with. Please review and we'll see what happens next chapter. Ta_

_Song I was listening to: Shut Up and Drive by Rihanna_


	3. My Hero

_Well, well another chapter. _

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Putting the last of the blouses on display, Rose glanced around the store, realizing that it was nearly empty.

Walking over to the counter by the elevator, she waved at Michelle who was walking by, carrying a couple of jeans that had been returned by an unhappy customer. Michelle grinned at her and waved back. Leaning against the counter, she stretched her arms out, groaning when she felt her stiff muscles ache in protest. She looked up at the clock and smiled when she saw the time.

_4:58_

Finally, she thought. She could leave soon and this horrible day would be over. Not that it had been all bad.

She thought of the man who had saved her. He had been so kind and seemed genuinely worried about her. He was drop dead gorgeous too.

"So," Michelle said, sidling up next to her and bumping her playfully with her elbow, " who was that gorgeous guy you were talking to?"

Rose smiled at her, her cheeks flushing. "I don't know what you mean," she said teasingly, looking away and feigning disinterest.

"You know bloody well what I mean." She elbowed her in the side and Rose laughed at her impatience. "Your knight in shining armor?"

But her smile melted away and she looked guilty. "I'm sorry, by the way. You're new here and I should have helped you around. Maybe then nothing would have...." She trailed off, looking down at the counter.

"No, no, it wasn't your fault. Besides he would have just attacked you too. And remember, somebody did help me."

Instantly Michelle's smile was back. " I suppose you're right, not that I'm wrong, but you should've seen your face after that guy left."

Clapping her hands together, she brought them up to her cheek and rested her head upon them, gazing dreamily into space, her lips twitching with a smile. "Oh, my hero," she sighed in a high pitched voice.

"Oh, come on now stop," Rose said, giggling. "You're just jealous."

She nudged Michelle herself, pushing her a little.

"Well, of course I am."

She pushed the clothes to the side and, crossing her arms, rested her head on them, staring up at Rose.

"That guy was dreamy, after all. Just my type too."

"Yeah well," Rose stretched again, looking back up at the clock, "It's 'bout time for me to take off."

Grabbing her purse that had been stowed away under the counter, she pushed herself away and called over her shoulder a quick 'goodnight' before walking towards the front doors.

Pushing through the doors, she breathed in the crisp night air gratefully and stared up at the faint stars. She ran her hand through her hair, wondering what her mum would be cooking for dinner at home. Turning, she started down the sidewalk, her hair falling into her eyes as she bent to adjust the strap of her purse.

She bumped into someone and, startled, looked up, coming face to face with her rescuer, who was beaming at her. He was wearing jeans and a fitted blue shirt that looked good on him. His hair was flatter than usual, she noted, and vaguely she lamented the fact.

Her hands paused at the strap and she felt her eyes widen.

"It's- it's you." Even to her own ears her voice was colored with disbelief.

"Yeah, it's me. At least, last time I checked I was still me." His grin faded a little, and his hand came up to rub the back of his neck.

"No, it's just I didn't think you-- you said you didn't want...," Confused, she shook her head.

"Guess you changed your mind?" She smiled up at him. Her day had just gotten a whole lot better. Or what was left of it anyway.

"Yeah," he said softly, and she shivered under his heated stare, remembering the feel of his fingers gliding across her cheek, "I changed my mind Rose."

His tone was a little desperate and his words hinted at a deeper meaning but she had no idea what it could be. Looking around them both nervously, she stared at the crowds of people walking by and the dim lights shining through the store windows.

"Well, um, where do you want to go?" She cursed herself for sounding so hesitant but he grinned at her words and grabbed her hand as though it was a normal gesture.

" Oh, I know just the place."

He tugged at her hand and soon they were both running through the crowd, him leading her and laughing.

She couldn't remember smiling more widely in her whole life.

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_Sorry its so short but I felt it was a nice ending to the chapter. Can you guess where they're going? Probably, it's too easy. Any way another chapter will be up shortly so don't worry. Ta._

_Song I was listening to: Desolation Row by My Chemical Romance_


	4. Get Tangled Up In Me

_Thank you to all my lovely reviewers. Especially those who review every chapter. Hope you like this chapter and if you do, as always, please review._

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With the familiar warmth of her hand in his, he tugged her forward, watching her face light up with an immediate smile. They ran through the crowd and, for just a moment, he could forget that Rose had ever left him for any amount of time.

They were just the Doctor and Rose. Running like they always did.

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"Well, here we are, then," he said, slightly breathless.

Rose was panting heavily, leaning against the street lamp she was next to.

She gazed at him and he could tell she was confused. Pushing away from the pole she took a few steps forward, sitting heavily on the swing and lifting her legs out in front of her, studying her trainers.

"You took me to a park?" Her voice was filled with amusement and her eyes sparkled at him as she grinned, close to laughing.

He picked at the hem of his fitted blue shirt, uncomfortable with how tight the fabric felt against him. Not that the jeans were much better. He had even attempted to flatten his hair, which hadn't really worked too well.

He had dressed as out of character as he could. Anything to make her memories of this harder to tie to himself when he properly met her.

Hopefully she would forget this whole incident. After all, random people met each other all the time, became friends, drifted apart. You could see it happening all the time. As long as he didn't do anything too memorable there would be no problem. At least, that was what he had told himself while he had been dressing.

But a part of him wished she wouldn't ever forget.

"Well, what's wrong with a park? Parks are lovely. Fresh air, nature all around, beautiful weather," he said cheerfully, grabbing the chain of the only other swing.

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Beautiful weather? It's freezing." To emphasize her point she shivered, drawing her fitted jacket tighter around herself.

He grinned. "Still fresh air and surrounded by nature though."

Moving the chain, he stepped forward and sat onto the swing, dragging his feet through the well worn sand kicked up over the years by children. He shifted, uncomfortable, when he remembered that he had stowed his sonic screwdriver in his back pocket.

Not really one of his more clever ideas, he thought, as he felt it digging into him.

He sighed. It wasn't as though he could pull it out in front of Rose. She might be able to recognize it later and he couldn't take the risk.

He looked at her. She was sitting with her legs still stretched out, her head down, her hair falling forward and hiding her face. Slowly she brought her legs down, letting them rest on the sand. She stared up at the stars, flipping her head back when the wind gusted and blew her hair across her face.

He saw that her cheeks were flushed. Probably from the cold air.

"I haven't been to a park since I was about six. Me and my friend, Mickey, we used to play all the time next to the sandbox. He made me so mad one time that I threw sand in his face."

He smiled, picturing a small Rose Tyler, her small face red with anger, her eyes narrowed, throwing a clump of dirt clutched in her tiny, chubby hand at a young Mickey.

" So is this friend of yours, Mickey, is he special to you?"

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Maybe one day he would learn how to stop his mouth rambling off without him.

She turned slightly towards him, tilting her head in a pensive way, grasping the chains of the swing with both hands.

"Well, I've know him for ages, really. I don't know though, he's busy most of the time working on cars. It's what he does. But he hasn't asked me around for a while and he seems kind of, I dunno, skittish when we talk now. Like he's nervous or frightened or something."

His grin faded as his eyes raked over her face. She seemed thoughtful and he hated that it bothered him. He already knew that she and Mickey would be dating. Not yet, it seemed, but apparently soon.

Suddenly she shook her head, shuffling her shoes in the sand, her cheeks glowing brighter.

Resting her head against the chain she turned to stare up at him.

"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to tell you all that. It must be boring to you."

He gazed into her eyes. "Never."

She smiled at him and pulled her head away from the chain. Gripping both tightly, she pushed off from the ground and swung a little, going higher as she gained momentum.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Her hair blowing behind her when she rose up, revealing her bright eyes lined thickly with mascara and her wide smile. And back down, her hair flying in front of her and obscuring his view somewhat.

Higher and higher she went, letting out a happy yet nervous squeal when she went too high. After a moment of watching her, he pushed off from the ground as well.

Soon he was going just as high as she was, the two of them swinging in perfect synchronization. He gave a small laugh when he rose up and, for a moment, felt weightless, staring at the midnight blue sky, twinkling with stars. He knew all of their names.

He fell back only to swing forward again.

Halfway through his ascent, he flung himself off the swing, soaring over the ground and landing perfectly on the balls of his feet. He turned around, grinning triumphantly, only to see Rose laughing at him as she continued smoothly swinging back and forth.

" Come on, Rose," he called.

She shook her head, excitement in her eyes. " No--", she swung back, "-- way." She swung forward.

"Aw, come on, live a little." He was _not _whining. Time Lords didn't whine.

"I'll fall,"she said breathlessly.

"No, you won't. I'll catch you." He raised his arms up as though to embrace her and stepped as close as he could without getting hit by her.

She bit her lip and her forehead creased as she glanced at him.

"Okay, but you better catch me." Her tone was threatening but he could tell she was teasing by her smile.

Halfway upwards she pushed off her seat, flying through the air to him. His arms wrapped around her middle as she crashed into him, and they fell backwards, his back hitting the ground hard, his breath whooshing out from him.

Rose's face was pressed against his shoulder, next to his neck, her breath ghosting over his skin, eliciting a shiver. She raised herself up slightly, griping his shoulders. Her face was so close to his he could see the faint shine of her lip gloss and the dark smudge of her mascara rimming each eyelash.

And then Rose had leaned forward and was kissing him.

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_Sorry couldn't help but end it there. ^^ Always hated cliff hangers myself, especially if I was reading a good story. But I'm quite good at them. Also I sort of decide that each chapter would switch off. First from Rose's perspective then to the Doctor's and vice versa. _

_Review!_

_(Please?)_

_Song I was listening to: Tangled Up In Me by Skye Sweetnam._


	5. Why

_Hello. This chapter is dedicated to two people in particular. First to The Alternative Source. You always leave me reviews and give me such good feedback. You're awesome^^. Next to addictedtofantasy. For getting so enthusiastic about my story. _

_Sorry this took so long to post but for some reason every time I tried to log in it said there was a technical glitch._

_Hope I don't disappoint. _

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His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his firm body and she buried her face in his shoulder as they fell, sure her cheeks must be burning.

And not from the cold.

She felt the impact of his back hitting the ground and heard his breath leave him.

She inhaled the smell of him, her body held tight against his as he tried to regain his breath. Nervous and a little embarrassed, she grasped his shoulders and dragged her head away from his chest to look him in the face. He was panting slightly, gazing at her in a curious questioning way.

She had no idea what made her do it but suddenly she had leaned forward and was kissing him, her lips moving against his slowly and softly.

He went rigid underneath her before relaxing completely, his arms, still wrapped around her middle, hugging her body tighter to his. One hand slid up her back to curl through her blond locks, securing her face to his. She let her tongue slip through her lips and touch his, cautiously flicking the smooth skin.

After a moment he opened his mouth to her and then both their tongues were dancing, exploring. He tasted slightly of bananas and she grinned against his lips. She pulled back for air and gazed down at him. He was still panting, his cheeks flushed, his eyes tightly closed and she could feel little tremors wracking his body. She cupped his cheek, stroking his face gently with her fingers, smiling down at him.

And, in a flash, his eyes popped open and there was a myriad of emotions flickering across his face so fast she almost missed them as they blended into the next.

Anger, regret, sadness, joy; all making a confusing mixture as he stared at her, his fingers suddenly digging into the soft skin of her stomach. He pulled her down into a hug so tight she couldn't breathe.

And then he sat up, taking her with him, and detangled himself from her, pulling her hands away from his chest and face and holding them in his own. His hands gently stroked the skin of her palms with his thumbs. He was staring down at their clasped hands and she saw which emotion won. Sadness.

"Rose," he said quietly, and her heart skipped a beat. She felt like she had done something wrong for some reason. Like when she was little and she touched something she wasn't supposed to.

"I--"

His voice faltered as he glanced up and stared at her, his eyes wide and impossibly dark. They were so expressive, his eyes.

"I can't, Rose," he said softly.

She nodded her understanding, feeling foolish and ashamed. She lowered her head, suddenly miserable, and hoped he couldn't see that her eyes were filled with tears.

And then his hand had grabbed her chin, tilting her head up, and his lips were moving on hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth, sweeping against hers and sending warmth fluttering through her stomach.

He pulled away and she blinked, bewildered.

Hadn't he just said....?

She shook her head, frustrated. He said one thing and did another. Why was he doing this?

Gently he grasped her arms and slid her off his lap. Standing up, one hand went to rub the back of his neck and the other was shoved into the pocket of his jeans. He looked uncomfortable as he shifted, his eyes meeting hers from where she sat on the ground.

She could feel the cold soil of the grass through her jeans. Pulling herself to her feet she looked down at them, brushing away the dirt and bits of grass that clung to the denim. Her hands strayed over the fabric more than was necessary to avoid looking at him. He was completely silent but she could feel his eyes on her, studying her every move. Finally, she glanced up at him, hoping the breeze would help cool her heated skin and brushing her hair away from her eyes. Their eyes met and she held his gaze, determined not to be the one to break it.

He looked away first, staring at a spot on the ground close to her shoes. He took a deep breath, slowly lifting his eyes to hers once more.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

And he sounded almost normal but for his voice breaking on her name. She stepped forward and pulled him into her arms. Her hand stroked the back of his neck as his arms held her closer, burying his face into her shoulder.

"I understand," she said, soothingly. But she didn't really. Trying to work it out in her head, she went with what sounded the most possible.

"You just need time, yeah?"

Maybe he had recently broken up with his girlfriend? She could understand that. And if he needed space he was welcome to it. She remembered what it had been like after breaking up with Jimmy Stone. He had been a jerk but it had still been a struggle to get over him.

He pried himself away from her and ran his hand through her hair, gazing into her eyes.

"Yes."

He stepped away from her but took her hand in his.

"I need time."

And again his voice held that same tinge of desperation as before. As though he were telling her a message between his words and she just didn't know what it was.

But she settled for smiling at him and nodding.

He didn't quite smile back as he squeezed her hand and walked forward, her following.

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_Well what a way to end a chapter. Don't worry I'll have it in the doctor's pov next chapter. And sorry if the kissing scene was cheesy or anything but I have no personal experience and tried my best. Sorry for any spelling mistakes._

_Please review. Ta._

_Song I was listening to: Why Can't I? By Liz Fair_


	6. She's Just Oblivious

_Thank you to any and all reviewers. Hope this is good. ^^_

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His body went tense at the feel of her soft lips against his. He couldn't think clearly though a part of his mind was practically screaming at him.

_You can't do this._

How he wished he weren't a Time Lord. That he could be normal for her and just enjoy the moment. But a part of his mind was analyzing the situation. This was going too far; if this kept up it would be harder to bury her memories of this later. He was messing with events that were fixed points. She was supposed to go to work, go out with Mickey, eat dinner with her mum.

And he wasn't supposed to be with her here and now.

But he was and she dragged her lips across his mouth, causing him to give a little shiver and his eyes to slip closed.

His body turned traitor and relaxed completely, his arms holding her tighter to his chest instead of pushing her away. His hand slid up her back, her shirt riding up a little, and curled through her silky blond hair, fastening her face to his.

The sane part of his mind was furious at himself. He should stop this now. She wasn't his right now. She should be Mickey's. If he allowed this would she still go with him?

But sanity had always been an issue as far as Rose Tyler was concerned.

Even before she had declared her love for him, sobbing brokenly on a cold, desolate beach. Every time she had smiled at him he could swear his hearts had skipped a beat. When they laughed he found himself more happy than he could remember being for a long time. When they were running with clasped hands it was as though the world fell away and she was all that tied him down.

_I can feel it. We're falling through space you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny planet. And if we let go..._

It was true more so now than it had been then. He had been falling through time and space. But someone had grabbed his hand and saved him.

And that someone was Rose Tyler.

And then he felt her tongue flick against his closed lips and he stopped thinking. He allowed her entrance and then--_ gods_-- her tongue was brushing against his own as he explored the foreign territory of her mouth. She tasted so _good._ Not like anything in particular. Just herself. He felt her grin and then she pulled away, panting against his lips. He kept his eyes closed.

What had he done?

He felt her stroking his cheek, her hand sliding down to his neck and chest.

He opened his eyes, hating himself for what he knew had to be done.

He stared up at her, his emotions running rampant through his head as she gazed down at him softly. His fingers clutched at the skin on her stomach and he saw her wince. Relaxing his hands he drew her in for a hug, melding her body to his tightly.

He didn't ever want to let this fragile, pink and yellow, silly, _beautiful_ human leave his arms again.

He sat up, taking her with him so that she was sitting in his lap. He grasped her hands in his, stroking the skin of her palms with his thumbs, drawing light circles across the skin.

He stared at their hands as he spoke, afraid to look at her. "Rose."

"I--"

His voice faltered when he looked up and saw her expression. She looked frightened, depressed, and the longing in her eyes and _oh_. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was still sitting on his lap, her jean clad thighs rubbing against-- no, stop it. He had to stop this. Now.

"I can't, Rose," he said as gently as he could.

And it crushed him to see her duck her head down, her cheeks burning, tears filling her eyes.

He pulled her chin up, crushing his lips to hers. He slipped his tongue through her mouth, sweeping through possessively.

He pulled away from her, his breath still shaky though having nothing to do with the fall.

She blinked, looking confused and dazed, and shook her head slowly. Grabbing her upper arms he pushed her away from his lap and stood up, shifting his gaze away from her huddled form on the ground. He rubbed the back of his neck, shoving his other hand in his pocket before shuffling his feet, uncomfortable with the awkward silence. Usually he would gab away about anything, diffusing the silence. This regeneration seemed very friendly and sociable.

But he couldn't find a thing to say as he watched her clamber to her feet and brush the grass from her jeans. She straightened, locking her eyes with his determinedly.

He almost smiled. Rose was anything if not stubborn sometimes. Probably got it from her mother.

He looked away, unable to bear the question and hurt in her eyes any longer.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

He hated how vulnerable he felt and how his voice broke on her name.

He had already lost everything once. And then twice more on a damn stupid excuse for a beach. He couldn't hold it together anymore if she walked away from him here and now. He was supposed to be strong. To withstand everything that would, will, and did happen. He was the last of his people, he couldn't afford to be emotional. But he was. Because of her.

Suddenly she pulled him in her arms and he clutched her tighter, burying his face in her shoulder and screwing his eyes shut. What had he accomplished by coming here? He was only going to leave and have his hearts, barely healed as it was, shatter again. And this time he didn't think he would recover.

"I understand," she said softly as she stroked the back of his neck. But he knew she didn't. Not really. Because she couldn't and he would make sure she wouldn't.

"You just need time, yeah?"

She sounded so hopeful.

He pulled away from her, his body still brushing against hers, and ran a hand through her hair, gazing into her warm brown eyes.

"Yes."

He stepped away from her but took her hand in his.

"I need time."

And he saw her bite her lip, her expression startled yet determined at hearing the desperation in his voice. As though searching for a hidden message.

It was funny though. He wished he had more time. More time to be with her here right now. But it wasn't like he could stay. They would have never met then.

She gave him a warm smile and nodded, still looking slightly puzzled.

He tried to smile back as he set off once more, Rose's hand in his as she followed.

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_Hopefully it makes a little more sense now. Oh well. Please review. Ta._

_Song I was listening to: Sharada by Skye Sweetnam_


	7. You Spin Me Right Round

_Hello everyone. Before I say anything else I just know someone's going to say something about this chapter. But before you blast me read my last note at the bottom. Thank you._

_Much thanks to and a huge hug for:_

_EvilGreenEyedBabe: I'm glad you like my story so much. And yes I'm continuing._

_Anberzen: Another chapter and I'm glad you caught my little slip on the rose necklace._

_And as always a huge thank you to The Alternative Source. This chapter's for you. And I loved your Nightmare story. Thank you so much._

_Also to addictedtofantasy: thank you for the big review and I hope you like this chapter._

_Also, and I'm saying this partly as a warning, there will be a rated M chapter involving Rose and the Doctor._

_I edited this chapter and cut down some of the lyrics just to let you know :)_

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She followed behind him as he gripped her hand tighter, almost running with long determined strides. He was panting through gritted teeth as though angry and, though her hand was beginning to ache, she said nothing, worrying on her bottom lip nervously.

"Um..."

He glanced over his shoulder at her but kept up his pace, forcing her to take longer strides to keep up with him.

"Where are we going?"

She hadn't meant to shout it but he was confusing her and she'd already tripped twice.

He stopped so suddenly that she ran into his back. She stumbled back, rubbing her nose and glaring at him. But he turned around and his lost expression melted away her anger.

He looked around them and rubbed his neck, ruffling his hair a little.

"I don't know," he said in a whisper then cleared his throat. " Where did you want to go?"

His eyes fixed on her and she shuffled, suddenly nervous.

She looked around, studying the people and buildings near them. She didn't recognize this area at all. How far away had he dragged her? With something akin to relief she caught sight of a vaguely familiar neon sign sparkling over a small red brick building.

"There,"she said, pointing to it. His eyes followed and he grinned.

"_Starburst_? Isn't that the name of some candy?" He frowned and looked down at the sidewalk, looking as though he were lost in his thoughts. She giggled at his concentration over something so meaningless.

She shrugged her shoulders, and shoved her hands into the pockets of her small jacket, pushing the sides together and obscuring her shirt.

"My friend Keisha got a call one time from Daniel, who she was going with at the time, and he invited us to come here. Said it would be fun. And it wasn't bad really. They play whatever you ask for and everybody has a good time."

When she finished she glanced from the sign to his eyes, grinning at him. He grinned back, exposing his teeth and looking a little goofy in a cute sort of way. He held his hand out to her and wiggled his fingers.

Giggling, she put her hand in his, his fingers wrapping around hers and they walked across the street to the club.

Walking through the doors, the music blasted over them. It was some sort of techno and Rose found herself swaying in time to the music. She loved dancing and it had never really mattered that much to her what kind of music was playing as long as it had a beat.

He tugged on her hand and lead her through the packed dance floor. Bodies were grinding and bumping into one another, shaking and spinning across the floor. Couples danced by them and were swallowed into the crowd, laughing and kicking their legs.

He led them over to a corner by the stage where a DJ stood, scratching records in time to the music and pressing buttons every now and then on his keyboard. The flashing blue lights illuminated the dance floor every now and then, giving the people an odd look as they were momentarily frozen in it's lights.

She felt something tap her arm and focused her attention on the man next to her. He was saying something, his lips moving, but the sound was swallowed up by the music. "What?" she yelled, tilting her head towards him.

"Are there always such annoying lights going off?" he shouted.

She shook her head, laughing at his pained expression.

"No," she shouted back, " when you request a song you can also request a change in lights. They even have a screen that comes down over the stage that shows the music video that goes with it or sometimes just people in the crowd dancing. And then sometimes they have live bands perform but they don't tell you who. It's supposed to be a surprise."

His eyes scanned the crowd and when he looked back at her she felt her smile fade somewhat. He had a happy glint in his eyes that told her he was excited and the corners of his mouth were turned up into a slight smile.

"Stay right here," he ordered her and then sped off into the crowd.

Hugging herself to the wall and folding her arms across her stomach she craned her head over twisting crowd, trying to catch a glance of his familiar floppy brown hair. She quickly gave up and instead swayed to the beat, watching the lights flash.

At the end of the song people abruptly stopped, panting and gazing at each other. Some laughed and tugged at their shirts as though hot while others walked off the dance floor looking exhausted.

"Alright then, my party people," the DJ boomed, his voice amplified by the microphone over his mouth. "We got a special request here from a Jack and a man who wishes to remain anonymous. Let's get it started!"

With that the music pumped through the speakers. It sounded like an Irish rock number and the singer's voice was slurred.

_I'll wait for you till I turn blue _

_There's nothin' more a man could do _

_Don't get your bollocks in a twist _

_Settle down, don't take a fit _

_Ya drank with demons straight from Hell _

_They almost nearly won as well _

_Ya wiped the floor with victory _

_Then puked until you fell asleep_

The drums crashed and the guitar kept rhythm with it as she tapped her foot and swayed from side to side.

He pushed his way between two couples and she felt an immense irrational relief and seeing him. The couple glared at him, but he payed them no mind as he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the wall. She smiled. He was a bit rude, wasn't he?

"Come on, Rose. Dance with me."

Although she had never passed up a dance before and had danced with strangers she felt embarrassed and nervous all of a sudden. What if he thought she looked ridiculous?

"No thanks," she lied, "'m fine right here."

"Aw come on, Rose."

"No," she said. Nervous that he would press the point she laughed. "Besides I don't think you can dance anyway," she teased.

His eyes narrowed at her and he dropped his grip on her arm, turning and walking into the crowd. She was scared now. Had she said something wrong? Was he leaving? She bit her lip and looked at the crowd wondering if she should stay or go after him.

As she thought she noticed the flashing lights cut off to be replaced by soft, eerie glowing green lights from the floor.

Where was he? She fidgeted nervously, bringing her hand up to chew on a finger nail. The crowd seemed to be moving back and several whistles and cheers were going up from them. Clapping broke out in time to the music. Curious, she stepped froward and pushed her way past several people with a few muttered apologies. Reaching a gap in the crowd, she stared at what she had found in amazement.

He was dancing. And he was _great_.

She laughed and clapped along with them, watching his every move. How could someone dance to this and still look so fluid and graceful?

A girl whistled on the other side of the gap and Rose's eyes strayed to her. She was gazing at him appreciatively, excitement in her eyes. And she wasn't the only one.

Feeling suddenly depressed, her hands slowed and stopped as she watched him, suddenly wishing she had not chosen to come here.

She listened to the flutes and drums.

_Ya snarled at him, said leave me be _

_I need the bugger so I can see_

He finished and bowed toward the crowd when they clapped. Grinning and panting, he stared at her. His smile slowly slid off his face when he took in her expression and though she quickly rearranged her features into a happy smile she knew he wasn't fooled.

When she saw several girls sidle up to him, batting their eyelashes and tugging on his hand or 'accidentally' brushing against him, she lost her facade completely and turned around with tears burning in her eyes. Any one of them was prettier than her. Any minute now he would pick one and take off without so much as a good bye for her. But that was okay. He probably deserved better than her any how. She was just a shop girl after all. Hadn't even finished her schooling.

He hadn't even told her his name or what he did for a living. Was he a teacher? A doctor?

She laughed through her tears at the thought of someone as easily distracted as him being a proper medical doctor. Never in a million years.

No, she didn't mind, she told herself. It wasn't as though Jimmy had never done the same thing and--

A hand gripped her upper arm before she could walk through the doors and a sob escaped her. Stupid, stupid, why was she crying?

"Rose?" he said quietly and she turned to face him, wiping her eyes dry quickly.

"Yes?" she said in what she hoped was a casual tone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin' much. You can go ahead and leave with one of 'em you know. You won't hurt my feelings or anythin'."

His eyebrows sprang up and his mouth popped open in surprise.

"_What_? What?!" He ran his hand through his hair, messing it and finally pulled her close to him.

"Listen to me, Rose. I would never pick anyone over you."

He brought his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. When he pulled away she was panting and his hooded gaze raked over her. She shivered under his stare and he shook his head as though to clear it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the DJ said, making them both jump.

"Put your hands together for the band Scouting for Girls!"

Applause rang through the room, several people jumping up and down in excitement or screaming enthusiastically.

He turned back to her, smiling softly as some men came on stage checking their instruments.

He pulled her through the crowd, his gaze never leaving hers, and she was hardly aware of the people in the room anymore. They reached the front of the stage as the opening notes to the song came on and the singer put his mouth to the microphone, tapping wildly on the keyboard in front of him.

_I love the way she fills her clothes_

_She looks just like them girls in vogue _

_I love the way she plays it cool _

_I think that she is beautiful_

He spun her around, her hand in his and then brought her flush against his body as they moved.

_She's so lovely _

_She's so lovely_

_She's so lovely_

_She's so lovely!_

There was a brief pause in the music and he stopped with it, twirling her when it picked back up.

They moved together, weaving through the crowd yet always coming back to the front of the stage. Several people stopped and stared at them, once more clapping.

_She's pretty, a fitty _

_She's got a boyfriend though and that's a pity _

_She's flirty turned thirty _

_Ain't that the age a girl gets really dirty_

More people had stopped and were watching them but she hardly noticed. His eyes were riveted to hers as the music washed over them both.

He dipped her down suddenly, pressed close to her and whispered the lyrics in her ear as the singer did.

_I don't know_

_I don't know_

_I don't know_

_How we'll make it through this_

All eyes were on them as he pulled her back up, smoothly swinging her around.

_I love the way she bites her lip_

_I love the way she shakes them hips _

_I love the way she makes me drool _

_I think that she is beautiful_

One of the band members paused in his part and stepped to the edge of the stage. Catching their attention, he motioned for them to climb up, smiling as he continued playing.

Making it look more like a dance move he picked her up and pushed her onto the stage, hopping up with her and, clasping their hands together, spun. She laughed.

_She's so lovely_

_She's so lovely_

_She's so lovely!_

He moved with her across the stage and the singer smiled at them as they passed. The crowd clapped and cheered.

_A stunner, I want her _

_Was she this fit when she was ten years younger?  
Come see me discreetly _

_She says she's got a trick or two to teach_ _to teach me_

She laughed again and this time he chuckled as he watched her.

He put his mouth to her ear as he pressed close to her and she shivered when his warm breath blew over her skin.

"_I think that you are beautiful_,"he whispered, pausing.

Her eyes filled with tears again.

_She's so lovely _

_She's so lovely _

_She's so lovely!_

The singer's voice lowered with emotion and he glanced at them as he sang, his fingers gently tapping the keys.

_I don't know how we'll make it through this _

_Ohhhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh_

With a final few notes the band finished and Rose and him came to halt, smiling at one another and breathing heavily. The crowd clapped and screamed as the DJ stepped to the microphone.

"Let's hear it for Scouting for Girls!"

More screaming.

"And," the singer said, interrupting, "our _lovely _dancers."

The crowd went wild, hopping up and down, cheering.

Rose grinned, embarrassed but pleased by the attention. Next to her she saw him wave and for a moment felt irritation course through her. Why wouldn't he tell her his name? It was annoying not knowing what to call him.

They made their way offstage as the claps faded and the band struck up another song.

"Want to stay?" he asked her, wiping some sweat from his forehead. She pushed her sweaty bangs from her eyes and nodded. Though the pace of the next song was fast he wrapped his arms around her waist and she rested her head on his chest as they swayed.

_Am I alone in your heart?  
Have I hope with your heart?  
She such a teaser, she's such a star _

_Give me a reason or give me a chance _

_Am I alone in your heart? _

_Or am I alone....?  
_

_It tears me apart._

_Am I alone?_

She breathed in his comforting smell and smiled as she felt his arms tighten around her waist.

_Doing all I can do, just to be next to you _

_Every time that we meet I skip a heartbeat_

_Always up for a laugh, she's a pain in the ass_

_Every time that we meet I skip a heartbeat_

He rested his cheek on her hair.

_Give me a evening, or give me a night _

_I'll show you the time, of your life_

The people moved around them, occasionally bumping into them.

_I'll walk you home safe, from the dark _

_I'll give you my jacket, I'll give you my heart_

He was so warm and she felt so comfortable. With a shock she realized that she had know him for less than a day yet she felt so relaxed....

_But she won't come dancing tonight,  
She's having the time of her life_

_Am I alone?  
_

_Doing all I can do just to be close to you _

_Every time that we meet I skip a heartbeat_.

His breath stirred her hair and she pressed closer.

_Always up for a laugh, she's a pain in the_ _ass _

_Every time that we meet, I skip a heartbeat_

_I do love _

_She does heartbreak _

_I did love, till she broke my heart_

_I do love _

_She does heartbreak _

_I did love, till she broke my heart_

He spun her out slowly and brought her back to him, wrapping his arms gently around her.

_Doing all I can do, just to be close to you _

_Every time that we meet I skip a heart beat_

_Always up for a laugh she's a pain in the ass _

_Every time that we meet I skip a heartbeat_

_I skip a heart beat for you_

She could swear she heard him singing softly under his breath.

_Doing all I can do, just to be close to you _

_Every time that we meet I skip a heartbeat_

_Always up for a laugh she's a pain in the ass _

_Every time that we meet I skip a heartbeat_

She thought of his warm brown eyes that shone with emotion, of his caring nature and how strong he seemed yet so vulnerable and she whispered the words half to herself and half to him.

_"I skip a heartbeat for you."_

As the song ended they pulled away, but his hand still held her own and she felt closer to him now, as though he had let down some barrier.

"I'll walk you home," he said quietly and she nodded and couldn't help the anticipation and excitement that filled her.

She had never met a man like him. And she had a feeling she never would again.

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_Goodness that's probably the longest chapter but we'll see. Anyway before you get mad I chose the Flogging Molly song because when I heard it I pictured the Doctor dancing to it and couldn't stop laughing. The She's so Lovely song I put in there for the fluff and the Heartbeat song because it really captures, to me, their love. And because I named the story after it.  
Every time they meet the Doctor skips a heartbeats. hoped you like and I'm sorry if I put too many songs in there I couldn't help it.  
Songs I was listening to: pretty much everything I listed above._


	8. She's Just The Girl I'm Looking For

_Another chapter. Go me ^^ Hm I know, I know I shouldn't still say this but honestly I'm still surprised people like this story. I read other fanfics and they seem so much better. Or I might just have a messed up perspective. ^^_

_On with the thanks._

_Thank you bunches to:_

_GSRgirlforever: Glad you like it.:)_

_xxedwardcullen-hotxx: glad you like it so much. I'm sure they can't wait either._

_The Alternative Source: Sorry I thought someone might be offended by the music I chose. Not everyone likes the same kinds of music as others. As for Tim Burton films I also kind of liked Sweeney Todd. Got the movie and the book. I also liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(Johnny Depp:)) and James and the Giant Peach. My favorite film when I was little was The Labyrinth, though it has nothing to do with Tim Burton it had the same kind of dark fantasy to it. What are yours? :)_

_On with the story._

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To say she was nervous would have been an understatement. She was close to a panic attack. But she also felt warm and excited too. Still, his hand was wrapped around hers as they walked, him walking slightly ahead of her. He slowed down and they were walking at the same pace. She looked down at the ground, sure she would blush if she looked at him.

For his part he was mostly quiet and, in the short time she had come to know him, she thought that was quite the feat. Maybe he was nervous too?

It was like when you were dreading something and time seemed to go faster. One minute they were walking down the sidewalk from the club and the next she could see her mum's flat in the distance. The Powell Estate.

But she thought of his arms circling around her at the back of the shop she worked at. Of going higher on the swings, of him catching her and her feeling so safe, so secure, in his arms. Of him whispering in her ear, words no man had ever told her. Words she had never thought anyone would tell her.

_I think that you are beautiful_

And just like that she suddenly felt braver. Before she could lose her nerve she wrenched her gaze away from the sidewalk and focused on him next to her. He looked pale and she felt a rush of concern for him. Was he sick? But his eyes had darkened a little, to a deeper brown and his breathing seemed a little more rushed.

She squeezed his hand reassuringly; just a light pressure. Immediately his shoulders slumped and he glanced at her. He gave her a strained smile but he looked a little more relaxed. She smiled back at him as they reached the foot of the stairs leading up to her mum's place.

"It's just up here." She gestured at the stairs and he nodded once. She squeezed his hand a little tighter and started up, leading him. She was a little embarrassed about the fact that he had only to look up and he'd be staring straight at her bum, but only a little. Most of her earlier shyness had burned away, washed away by memories of dancing and laughing.

Finally they reached the right door and, letting go of his hand, she unzipped her purse and reached in, shuffling through the makeup and other trinkets. She felt the smooth metal of the key and pulled it out. It flashed a dark yellow in the dim light of the street lamp nearby and she inserted it into the lock, twisting it in a practiced snap of the wrist. A click was heard and she pulled the key back out and replaced it in her purse.

She twisted the handle and pushed the door open.

"Well, here we are then. Mum should be in if you want to meet her."

She glanced at him but he smiled and shook his head frantically, looking panicked.

Pushing the door fully opened she reached for the light switch. Flipping the switch, soft yellow lights flickered on, illuminating their messy flat. A scrap of paper was hastily taped to the side of the switch and she grabbed it, tugging to free it from the wall. She read the note quickly, hyper aware of the fact that he had moved closer to her, his head next to hers as he bent to read the note from over her shoulder.

_Rose, _

_figured you'd find this sooner or later. Shireen came over and asked me to go shopping with her. They're having a late night close out sale at Stephen's. Remember how I told you they were closing? Anyway, we'll be out for a while and I'll probably stay at her place tonight seeing as it's closer than ours. Dinner's in the fridge; it's lasagna. And I'll be back by noon tomorrow._

_Lots of love,_

_Jackie_

She stared at it for a moment longer before turning to him, clearing her throat.

"Mum's out shopping. Be out all night."

Did his eyes just darken more or were the lights just playing tricks on her?

She watched him gulp. Just a barely perceptible movement of his throat as his eyes flickered over her body, lingering on her chest and hips. They stopped on her mouth, narrowing slightly.

She had to stop herself from grinning. This was more perfect than she could have hoped to ask for. She had the whole flat to herself for the night and an incredibly handsome man with her. Miracles really did happen.

She licked her lips and saw his eyes follow the path her tongue made.

"Would you like to come in?"

There it was, an open invitation. No going back now, not that she wanted to. But still a part of her was on edge. Would he come in?

She almost missed it, but her eyes flicked down to his hands and saw them convulse, forming tightly clenched fists.

"I--"

His voice was deep and throaty and made her shiver. He cleared his throat.

"I'd, um, love to but I've got to get back to, ah, my house, my, um...."

He opened his mouth wordlessly a few times as though searching for something to say and a terror filled her so suddenly she was caught off guard.

"Please?," she whispered, begging.

His hand reached out to her before stopping halfway and falling limply to his side.

"Goodnight," he said quietly.

And he turned and walked back down the stairs.

She closed the door feeling a numb sense of rejection. She slid down to the floor and sobbed against her knees.

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He cursed himself as he ran back to the Tardis. What had he hoped to accomplish by coming here? Had the urge to see her one last time really been worth the pain he was feeling now?

And he was feeling pain. A pain so intense he thought his hearts would stop and his lungs would burst. He felt like he was burning in an icy fire that burned and numbed at the same time, the echo of her sob still lingering in his ears. He had been quick to get down the stairs but not quick enough.

He slammed the door to the Tardis closed, ignoring her indignant hum. His legs folded underneath him and he felt like he was breaking into a million pieces. He wanted to rage and cry and beat his fists on the ground. He wanted to curse every god he had ever heard of and fly away and never interact with anything or anyone again.

Was it worth it?

His arms lay in his lap motionless and he stared at them blankly.

Yes.

He got up and turned, running back through the doors, barely taking the time to lock the doors before he was off again, racing up the stairs.

Because Rose was worth it.

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She sat on the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs, tucking her feet into the blanket draped over her shoulders. She sniffed and her eyes watered again but she lifted her head and let out a deep breath, trying to keep the tears from escaping.

Blinking furiously she shook her head and stared at the television. She wasn't really watching the show, just staring at the colors flashing across the screen and trying to lull herself to sleep. Because if she was sleeping she couldn't think.

And she didn't want to think right now.

Someone pounded on the door suddenly and she jumped, slightly scared. She glanced at the clock in the kitchen from her seat on the couch. It was well past midnight, who would be at the door this time of night?

Unwrapping the blanket from her self, she hefted herself off the couch and walked to the door. Hesitantly she opened the door a crack and peered through.

Her heart stopped when she saw him and she jerked back in surprise. He pushed the door open and the chain broke with a snap as he advanced towards her, and she backed up, stunned.

And then his hands were grasping her shoulders firmly and his lips were moving across hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

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_In case you couldn't guess the M chapters next. Unless I get to nervous and decide not to write it.... No I will. I'll write it? Hmph._

_Getting good now though huh?_

_Also the songs I'm usually listening to make for great background music to the story. Plus they usuall portray what the characters are feeling and their feelings for each other._

_Song I was listening to: Just the Girl by Click 5_


	9. It's The Way You Love Me

_He he. Well I promised an M chapter didn't I? Oh, I'm too embarrassed to look at how this turns out. (peeks between fingers). Gah!_

_Thank you to:_

_anberzen: It made me happy to see your review. I suppose my story is well enough. _

_GSRgirlforever: I hope you keep thinking so. ^^_

_And as always to The Alternative Source: When I get the chance I'll try to watch some of those films. I'm sure they're well worth watching if you like them. Some of my other favorite films are Fight Club, Secret Window, 28 Weeks Later, and Cloverfeild. I also like Pride and Prejudice as well._

_Also if you feel this chapter isn't quite up to par please look at the note at the bottom._

_Hope this goes okay...._

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His hands clenched on her shoulders as he dragged his lips across hers and she pulled him closer, winding her hands in his hair.

She pulls back and he smiles at her, looking winded and dazed.

She untangles her hands from his hair and pulls one back, letting it fly forward to land with a resounding_ smack_ across his cheek. He stumbles back slightly, his eyes wide and bewildered, his hand rubbing his pink cheek.

"Why?," she said, sobbing, giggles mixing with them at his expression and at the relief that he had come back.

She beat her fists weakly against his chest, her tears blinding her and he made no effort to stop her.

"Why did you leave me?"

Through the film of tears she saw his face twist with pain and felt a strange mixture of satisfaction and guilt. She pushed the feelings away. He deserved it.

"Why are you pushing me away?"

She chokes on a sob and his hands encircle her wrists gently, tugging her forward so that she's resting against his chest in a soft embrace.

Her tears seem endless. She doesn't usually feel the urge to cry but when she does she can never seem to stop.

Drained, she rests her head against his chest.

"Why won't you tell me your name?"

His mouth is at her ear, his voice soft and strained. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I wish I could explain but I-- I can't."

And she hates the fact that she knows she'll accept this. That she'll give him everything anyway despite it all. Because he already has something of hers. Has had it since that first hug in the store, surrounded by strangers.

He has her heart.

She pushes away from him and raises her hand again. He flinches.

But she merely puts it on his shoulder and hauls him closer, twining her hands together around his neck. She kisses him. Puts everything she has into that single kiss. All her frustration, fear, passion, longing.

And this time he doesn't let her pull away.

His hands tighten on her waist, clutching her closer until she's flush against him.

His lips press harder to hers, his tongue slipping past to mingle with hers. He backs her against the wall and she's panting as her back is pressed against the cool plaster and his hand tangles in her blond hair, angling her head so that the kiss deepens.

Steadying herself with his shoulders she wraps her legs around his waist and he moans as she presses against his erection. She grins against his lips.

Emboldened by his actions she rakes her hands down his chest, stopping when she reaches the waistband of his jeans. Her hands push his shirt up and slide across his skin, traveling upward to brush across his nipples. He growls and yanks her hands out from under the shirt, pinning them to the wall as he plunders her mouth.

Her need is growing and she bucks against him, grinding her hips into his. He presses harder against her as his lips trail down her throat, sucking and biting the skin. She moans and he pulls away.

Confused she stares at him but without a word he grabs her hand and she stumbles along behind him as he walks quickly to her bedroom door, flinging it open. At this she grows even more confused. How did he know which room was hers?

He pulls her in and closes the door, pressing her against it.

And then his lips are on hers again and she decides that she really doesn't care as his hands push up her shirt and caress the skin of her stomach. She arches into his touch, aches for it, and he sighs against her lips. His hands travel up, pushing her shirt up further, and he reaches the bottom of her bra.

He pauses for a moment and , afraid that he's changed his mind again and decided he doesn't want her after all, she desperately fastens her lips to his, nibbling on his bottom lip and tracing the muscles of his chest though his shirt. He shudders and his hands pull out from under her shirt. He pulls away and for a second she feels disappointed but he merely tugs her shirt up and over her head. She lifts her arms to help him and his lips return to hers.

He sucks on her lower lip for a moment before kissing his way down her throat. He bends his head to kiss the tops of her breasts not covered by the plain white bra she wears and she shivers. His hands shift against her skin , traveling to her back and he unclips it, pulling it away from her.

He gazes down at her, motionless, and she flushes under his stare.

He leans down and kisses her and she fists her hands in his hair. His hands come up and cup her breasts, his thumbs brushing against her nipples and she moans.

She's breathing heavily when he pulls away to trail kisses down her throat and across her chest, throwing her head back against the door when he sucks one nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. She watches with half-hooded eyes, her hands still loosely clutching his hair, as he pulls away and blows on the damp flesh causing it to pucker. After paying the same attention to her other breast she tugs him up and mashes her lips against his, pulling his shirt up.

He helps her and soon his shirt floats to the floor, baring his chest for her eager eyes. His arms encircle her and she thinks she's spinning or maybe that was just in her head as she closes her eyes and enjoys the feel of his lips against hers and her chest brushing against his own.

The backs of her legs hit the edge of her bed and she topples backwards, tugging him down with her. His hands move, caressing her skin and move down to the edge of her jeans, the tips of his fingers sliding under. She lifts her hips up and he quickly undoes the button, his lips never leaving hers.

He slips them off her legs and she kicks them off along with her underwear.

He sits up, her legs between his thighs and as his gaze travels down in a rush of embarrassment she presses her legs together and covers herself with her hands. He gives her a soft smile and, with little resistance, pulls her hands away, kissing the backs of them lightly before gazing at what she had hidden. Reaching one hand between them he cups her, his fingers brushing through the dark brown curls.

She arches into his touch as their lips clash.

God, she needs him _now_.

With fumbling fingers she undoes the button of his jeans and pulls them down his hips. He clambers off the bed for a moment and she raises herself up by her elbows to watch him as he kicks his pants off. Her eyes take in every inch of him and she licks her lips as he crawls back onto the bed and pulls her into a kiss.

One hand goes to stroke her breast, rubbing the tender flesh as the other travels down past her waist, past the curve of her hips, past the dark curls and_ oh!_

She arches off the bed as one finger slips inside her warmth. Frantic with lust she digs her fingernails into the skin of his hips, trying to press him down as she bucks against his hand.

He pulls his finger out and presses his length against her entrance. Their tongues are dueling as she trails one hand across his skin and down to his shaft, stroking him slowly. He shudders at her touch and rips his lips away from hers to suck at the skin of her collarbone.

Slowly he pushes inside and she gasps at the feel of him buried inside of her. He pauses and pulls back to look her in the eyes, gently brushing her sweaty hair from her forehead.

"Okay?", he whispers, his voice rough and she nods, not trusting her voice.

She wraps her legs around his waist as he pulls out, pushing inside once more. He starts out slow, building the pace faster and faster as he thrusts into her.

She pants, clawing at his back, so close, so close...

"Rose," he gasps into her ear and she snaps, falling over the edge. He pushes inside her once, twice more before she feels him spasm as he fills her.

Breathing heavily he pulls out and lays down next to her on the bed. She's shaking with the aftershocks of her pleasure and opens her eyes lazily to smile at him. He gives her an exhausted grin as he reaches between them to pull the blanket from under them, draping it across them both.

His arms pull her against him and she snuggles into his warm embrace, resting her head on his arm.

"I love you," she whispers.

She gives him a tired kiss before settling against him and drifting off.

And in the moonlight that falls across her bed one small tear courses down his cheek as he presses a shaky kiss to her forehead.

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_Well I hope that wasn't half bad. To be honest I've never had sex myself ( no, I'm not ashamed to admit it)so I'm mostly drawing on books I've read, movies I've seen, and some helpful info that my older sister has given me. But mostly my imagination on how I think it might feel and what not. Hope it was okay . Ta._

_Song I was listening to: This Kiss by Faith Hill_


	10. With Your Arms Around Me

_Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't posted for a while but I've been having a hard time lately. Someone stole my ipod at school. I was so upset I made myself sick._

_On to the thanks._

_Thank you so much to:_

_xxedwardcullen-hotxx: I'm glad you continue to enjoy my story._

_GSRgirlforever: yes that is the question isn't it? What will the Doctor do?_

_The Alternative Source: Aw, sorry I made you sad. I can't tell you how it ends yet but I think it will make you happy. And I was glad you thought I did okay. I wasn't really nervous writing it but as soon as I posted it I was panicking. Not to mention I have no experience but oh well. Not a lot of people did like Cloverfield you're right. But I thought it was an excellent film. And I loved the comments coming from the man holding the camera. He was so funny._

_Anberzen: yes I am continuing it. Will she remember? Let's see...._

_Hope you enjoy._

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Every now and then she shifts, cuddling herself further against him and his eyes drink her in.

Soft blond locks, slightly tangled and frizzy, swept behind her to splay against the white pillow. One lock, resting on her cheek, slides across her cheek as he watches and touches her lips, billowing out a little with every breath. Her bare shoulder seems to glow softly in the white light of the moon. Her face, still with smudges of makeup, looks peaceful and a little smile curls her lips as she presses against his chest, mumbling.

His hearts swell as he looks at her and he wants to hold her in his arms forever.

He never wanted to become human. They were such simple creatures; sleeping their lives away, watching telly, eating beans on toast. Not to say he didn't enjoy their company. They were expressive and unique, daring and brave.

He sweeps the lock of hair behind her cheek and she gives a wispy sigh at his touch.

Caring and loving.

But he could never say that he had wanted to be one. Couldn't imagine not being able to travel the universes, see the stars, talk to distant races, and help whenever he could. It wasn't, perhaps, the most peaceful life he could have hoped for, or even the best. But it gave him a sense of purpose.

All of his companions and friends eventually left. Faded away or found someone else.

But he had helped hadn't he?

_The Doctor. The person that makes people better._

Had he made anything better? Has his time with them changed anything? Made a difference?

Of course he envied them though. Wished sometimes he could have the same kind of life. Go about, going to work and bed and talking, endlessly talking, to those who would care about him because they were family and friends.

And they would never leave him.

He holds her tighter, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her against him, tucking her head under his chin.

And he can't help the fact that he suddenly can't seem to breathe.

She stirs and her hand comes up to gently cup his cheek, as she tilts her head back to gaze into his eyes.

She blinks slowly, her eyes only half open, before giving him a lazy smile.

"Alright?", she whispers sleepily.

He nods against her hand and she pulls it back, tucking it under her chin as she yawns, her eyes slipping closed and her breathing evening to a steady rhythmic slowness.

He rests his cheek against her hair and breathes in the painfully familiar smell of her, trying not to wake her as his body is wracked with soundless sobs.

_________________________________________________________________________________

He opens his eyes, immediately alert, and curses himself when he catches sight of her clock.

_5:45 AM_

The numbers blink at him, mocking has stayed here far longer than he should have.

He glances down at the girl nestled in his arms.

And done things that he shouldn't have. Actions that could have extremely damaging and catastrophic effects on reality.

But she moves in her sleep, her leg brushing against his, and mumbles half coherent things, sighing.

And he can't find it in him to care about the danger.

But, with a certain amount of pain from his frantic beating hearts, he slides her carefully out of his arms.

She lays on the crumpled sheets with the duvet pulled up to her chest, one arm lying across her stomach, the other by her head, curled slightly in her blond locks. Her head is turned to the side, facing him as he glances around the room, searching for his clothes.

He gathers them quickly, putting them on hastily and not caring in the least about how his hair is sticking up, his shoes are unlaced, and his shirt is wrinkled.

He stands by her bed staring down at the one person he has ever wanted to be human for. To spend the rest of his life with.

_Forever._

He reaches for her, knowing what must be done, and accepting it even as it breaks his hearts.

His fingertips brush against her temples and her breath hitches.

He sorts through the memories, trying not to linger on any one more than he has to and locates the ones he's looking for.

The ones of him.

_He stares up at himself wearing jeans and a light blue shirt, his hands pausing at the strap of the purse hanging form his shoulder. _

"_It—It's you."_

_And the voice that leaves his mouth is not his own but breathy and feminine. But his heart swells with joy and pure happiness as he stares at himself in disbelief._

He smiles as the others flash into his mind.

_He's swinging, the wind in his long hair._

_Dancing across the stage with himself laughing._

_Asking if he wants to come in. Please say yes, please say yes...._

_He's at the door, kissing, love him, on the bed, hands roaming, sleep, so tired, so happy...._

He focuses on those memories and pushes them to the back of her mind, burying them beneath old forgotten memories and more recent ones.

Her eyes flutter open, gazing at him in shock, her back arches off the bed as her hands come up to weakly brush against his.

"No!", she gasps.

But her body slumps back to the bed, her eyes sliding closed.

He brushes her hair from her forehead and bends to kiss her lightly on the lips.

But he's shaking when he pulls back.

_Flashes of her memories. _

_Wedding dress, walking fat, his bespectacled face smiling...._

"_No!", she shouts, before falling into his arms, unconscious._

Gods, it was too much. Just like he had had to do for Donna.

Surely any minute now his mind would snap and he would go truly insane.

He could almost feel it coming.

He could almost welcome it.

She moves on the bed, her legs tangling in the sheets, and frowns, a light sheen of sweat coating her face.

How long had he been here? How much time had he spent with her?

Not enough.

_I thought I'd lost you._

No, not again. He couldn't lose her again.

He sits on the bed, staring intently at her face and holding her hand in his.

And determination fills him.

Not again. Not ever again.

He would never let go of this hand again if he could help it.

_How long are you going to stay with me?_

_She smiles. _

_Forever._

"Oh, Rose," he says, softly, "I hope you meant it."

He gets up and crosses the room, a new purpose to his step.

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_This isn't the end either._

_Song I was listening to: The Way You Love Me by Faith Hill_


	11. Counting The Ways To You

_Hello again. I've pretty much put all my other stories on hold to finish this one._

_Thank you to:_

_The Alternative Source: I originally had a different ending in mine which was pretty sad I must admit but you asked for a happy ending so I thought about it and came up with a different ending. I'm sure you'll like it. At least I hope you will. And I don't know who stole it. I put it under my backpack and went to change an animal's cage (I was in vet class) and when I came back it was gone. Believe me if I know who stole it....._

_GSRgirlforever: I'm happy you think so. Please continue to enjoy._

_Anberzen: I'll get happier trust me._

_On with the story._

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The first thing she was aware of was the warm sunlight streaming through the blinds. She snuggled her face into the pillow, reluctant to have to leave her bed. Her mind felt pleasantly hazy and vaguely she wondered what she had done last night.

After a few minutes, or what could have been an hour or two, she opened her eyes and stared up at her ceiling. Lifting one hand she swept back her bangs, dislodging a clip that had tangled next to her ear. She turned her head and pushed her clock sideways so she could see the time.

_11:48 AM_

Well that was strange. She wasn't exactly a morning person but she was usually up by nine-thirty regardless of whether she had to work or not. Usually one of her friends would call her or they would already have plans made or her mum would come bustling into her room telling her of some sale or another at some store.

She couldn't remember the last time she had had the day off from work and all to herself.

She sat up, stretching, and shivered as the duvet fell away from her.

She hadn't felt this good in ages. She felt so relaxed, slightly sore but not in a bad way. Her muscles felt warm and limber. She bit her lip as she looked down.

Why was she naked? She never slept without her jammies on. It just didn't feel right.

What had she done last night? She took her mind back. Okay, so that man in the store had been practically humping her and then another handsome guy had saved her. She had told him what time she got off work and hoped he would come, though she had pushed it as best she could from her thoughts so she wouldn't be disappointed if he didn't.

After chatting with Michelle she had told her she was leaving. And....

And then what?

It had been near sun down, she knew that. The strap on her purse had been bothering her and she had bent to fix it and then....

She couldn't remember.

Her brow furrowed as she concentrated. Frustrated she grabbed her hair and pulled it back into a messy ponytail. Snatching a hair band from her nightstand, she wept her bangs back and tugged it over the bundle. Once it was fixed she bent her legs, pulling them towards her and put her chin in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees.

Had she had something to drink last night?

Might explain her hazy memory. But she'd never drank so much as to forget great chunks of time, with no recollection whatsoever. She had only ever had small sips of whatever Mickey was drinking when he dragged her down to the pub to watch a game; his idea of fun.

But she couldn't clearly remember anything from last night, just sensations and feelings.

At one point she felt as though she were falling and remembered a smell.

Warm and strange. Like books and something, well, _different_. Something untraceable.

She recalled the sensation of spinning, warm arms holding her to a firm chest. And she had been upset for some reason. Crushed, really. She had been staring at the telly blankly.

And then....nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She huffed and got out of bed. What was wrong with her?

Sighing she glanced around her room and froze with surprise. Her clothes were scattered everywhere. Her bra was by the door, her panties at the corner of her bed. Her shirt was in a rumpled heap next to her jeans by her dresser.

"Okay...," she said slowly, wondering if she had been alone last night.

She stared at her clothes, considering. Maybe she had found a guy and....?

No, she would remember something like that. Besides she wasn't really the sort of person to sleep around. She would flirt but that was it.

Maybe she had just been tired and shrugged out of her clothes without bothering with putting them in the hamper. Wouldn't be the first time really. She must've been extremely tired and just skipped putting them on. But that explanation didn't feel right to her either.

Deciding that she needed fresh air she crossed the room to her closet, sliding the doors open and scanning the clothes inside.

She didn't really have anything planned for today so something comfy and casual should be fine. She slid on some loose blue jeans and a baggy shirt Mickey had gotten her last year. It was a dark pink and fell to her knees but was breathable and light against her skin.

Not bothering to slide the doors closed she walked out of her room and into the hallway, making sure to close her door firmly behind her.

She remembered the last time she had left it open and an old friend of her mum's from school had dropped by with her excited toddler in tow. Rose had come home to find her mother and friend deep in conversation and gossip and the little boy running through the house with one of her bras clutched in his sweaty little hands.

Flushed with embarrassment she had spent the next hour chasing the little bugger around the flat, him giggling the whole time as though it were the best game ever. It didn't help that more of her mum's friends and neighbors had dropped by for a chat. Some of them had been guys even.

Smiling at the memory she padded down the hall into the bathroom.

After looking herself over she decided she looked presentable enough, her hair a little tangled but still. After putting in some gold hoop earrings and slapping on some makeup she nodded at her reflection and started for the front door.

She stopped when she put her hand on the door knob. She might need her purse.

Turning she stepped into her room once more, surveying the mess and trying to locate it's white color among the mess. Blowing her cheeks out, frustrated, she closed the door again, holding the smooth metal of the handle in her palm and straining her mind for where she could have left it.

Deciding she might not need it after all she headed once more for the door, glancing into the living room as she passed. A flash of white caught her eye and she stepped around the couch, smiling in satisfaction and relief when she saw her small white purse on the floor in front of the couch.

Wondering why on earth she put it there she snatched it from the ground and finally made her way out the door, taking the time to lock it behind her after quickly writing a note to her mum telling her she'd be out for the day.

She breathed slowly once she got outside. The air wasn't exactly fresh or crisp but it was marginally better than the stuffy air of the apartment.

She made her way down the stairs and, with no particular destination in mind, strolled down various streets and sidewalks, taking her time and looking at several eye-catching stores.

She found herself walking down a grassy hill in a park, a small playground ahead of her. She stopped when she caught sight of the swings and her head started to ache a little. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers, willing the uncomfortable feeling to leave her as she studied the swings.

She had a weird sense of deja vu but she had never been here before. Her mum had only taken her to a park once, preferring to spend her quality time with her daughter watching telly and shopping.

She walked down to the swings and sat in one of them, immediately pushing herself from the ground to swing back.

The wind gusted through her ponytail as she came up higher and higher, seeming soothing to her somehow. She relaxed and let her mind go blank as she came up and down. Staring at endless blue skies and then at sand and kicked up grass.

She slowed, pushing her shoes against the ground to stop herself.

She felt much better, like she'd gotten rid of some tension. And the ache had even disappeared.

She let her head rest against the chain she was still gripping, letting herself slide down so that the side of her head rested against her fingers and stared ahead at nothing in particular.

A mother, holding the hand of a small brown haired girl was walking by, scolding her while she sniffed tearfully.

She could hear a dog barking in the distance and the cars passing by. A squirrel ran down from a tree near her and paused, motionless, regarding her through one beady eye. It twitched it's tail at her before speeding off across the grass, disappearing behind a big blue box.

Feeling at peace but bored she got up and walked to the blue box, brushing at the back of her jeans. She looked around the edge but the squirrel was gone.

Probably gone to find a better tree or maybe he had a little squirrel family somewhere. She stepped back and regarded the box in front of her. It had dirty frosted glass windows and the paint was hardly fresh. It looked dirty and kind of old. She stood on her tiptoes. What was that it said?

Pol--

Out of the corner of her eye she saw something and ,distracted, turned to look at whatever it was. She saw the end of a tan coat whipping around the corner and the messy brown hair that was the back of someone's head.

Intrigued she crossed the road and was around the corner in an instant. But it was just an empty alleyway, noting more than plain brick walls and a dumpster against one wall.

Somehow disappointed she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the uncomfortable pressure that had returned. She started down the ally when she heard a whistle very close behind her.

Startled she whirled around and found herself being backed against the wall by three burly young men.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me, "she muttered, her eyes darting to each one of them, trying to keep them all in sight.

Do I have a big sign on my forehead that says ' attack Rose Tyler?' or what? She thought as her back pressed against the rough brick of the wall and they closed in, leering at her.

"You want ta hand us over that purse, poppet?", one of them said, his rank breath making her crinkle her nose in disgust.

Wordlessly she slipped her hand into her purse trying to catch all of their eyes simultaneously and felt the cool metal of the pepper spray can in her grasp.

Quick as lighting one of them grabbed her wrist and yanked it out of her purse holding it before her face and tightening his grip to the point were pain was shooting up her arm.

"I don't think she wants to give it to us, Charley," the one in the middle said, licking his lips as he gazed at her.

"Well, we'll just have to take her with us as well, won't we?", he lowered his voice as he stepped forward and grabbed hold of her other arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

That voice was so _familiar_. But why?

And as she turned to look down the ally she saw him and her head exploded with pain.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Next will be the Doctor's POV. If I continue. Nah, just joking I will._

_To be honest I didn't expect this turn of events but we'll all find out what happens won't we? And by the way, just as a hint, has the Doctor messed with the timelines irreversably? _

_Also in case this chapter confuses some people I realized that in the eight chapter I had Rose in her pajamas and then when her and the Doctor were, um, getting friendly I accidentally switched her to regular clothes. I redid that chapter so tha she's just in regular clothes and apologize for any confusion. Ta._

_Also to the Alternative Source: Thank you for recommending that music. Was very lovely and you're right, it did go well with the chapter._

_Song I was listening to: 100 years by Five for Fighting_


	12. You're Way Too Beautiful Girl

_Not much to say at this point really._

_Big thanks to:_

_The Alternative Source: Yeah I was kinda worried about that chapter so I'm glad you liked it._

_Addictedtofantsy: I loved the super long review thanks. But I think you got a little confused on something I may have put last chapter. Nobody stole my planning for this story because I really don't plan anything. I just write it as it comes and sometimes manage to surprise even myself. What I was referring to was the fact that someone stole my ipod. Although it did have Doctor Who episodes on them so I 'm sure whoever stole them was looking at them going 'What the f-- is this?'._

_GSRgirlforever: I'm glad my writing is still up to par thank you._

_And to David Tennant who got me interested in Doctor Who and is my muse for most stories really._

_Please review to all of you who read the story. Please._

_On with the story then._

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She couldn't see. Her eyes were watering with pain and she closed them as that voice washed over her.

Of course she knew that voice. She could've picked it out from any crowd.

She gave a dry heave, feeling nauseous, and felt the grip on her wrist loosen.

Some people, when they're sick, lose most of their inhibitions. They will say say things that they normally wouldn't say or act out in an unexpected way.

Rose Tyler was one of those people.

She felt ill, had a massive headache, couldn't remember where she'd been last night, and felt suddenly exhausted. She was also pissed off. She wasn't a damsel in distress for god's sake. She didn't need saving all the time.

She wrenched her arm away from her captor's grasp and lashed out with her foot, feeling deeply satisfied when she felt it connect with something hard and heard a high-pitched yelp.

She turned and ran blindly for the other side of the alley, where she had heard the most comforting sound in the world to her at this moment. She stumbled and tripped. Spinning to her side she slammed into the asphalt and her head smacked against the ground.

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"Rose!"

She moaned and and moved her head to the side, coughing. She felt so dizzy. "Wha--?" she muttered groggily.

"Oh, Rose, sweetheart, thank god. Thought I was gonna have to call an ambulance or somethin'. Are you okay?"

Someone was helping her up, propping her against a cold brick wall, and she put a hand to her aching head, sliding her fingers through her mostly undone ponytail to massage her sore scalp. Slowly she opened her eyes and blinked, focusing on the person crouched next to her.

"Mickey," she breathed, feeling both relieved and disappointed at the same time. Immediately she scolded herself. Who else was she expecting anyway?

"Are you alright?" His hand rose up to rest on her shoulder as he gazed into her eyes. She could see the panic reflected in them, the worry for her safety and felt warmth blossom in her stomach.

"Yeah," she replied, averting her eyes and staring at the opposite wall, "What happened to those men though?"

His hand slid off her shoulder as he answered. "Those guys? Turned tail and ran soon as we saw you. Didn't they Dan?"

She heard a gruff male voice answer Mickey in the affirmative from behind him but was too tired to turn her head to look at whoever it was properly. She was drifting, her head slumping to rest on her chest. She wanted to go home. She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. Finally she managed to tell him a garbled, "Want... home.... Mick...ey." And she felt him pick her up bridal style with some help from his friend.

The sunshine was so warm.

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She was in her bed and her body felt strangely heavy. She managed to raise her arm for a moment before giving up and letting it flop back to the bed with a groan. She felt the bed dip under someone's weight and gentle fingers massage her scalp.

Whoever it was was humming. She didn't recognize this touch or know that voice. It took her a few minutes to realize that she should be worried about that and another few to feel that worry and try to flee from those hands.

She heard an exasperated sigh as she rolled over and lost what little energy she had. They rolled her back onto her back and she struggled to open her eyes as those hands resumed their gentle prodding.

"Hmm. Definitely a concussion. And you're bleeding too. Of course Ricky the idiot wouldn't have thought to check."

She could practically hear whoever it was roll their eyes.

She decided she no longer cared who it was or if they'd broken into the flat or not. She was mildly comfortable and too sleepy....

"Rose," the person called and they shook her shoulder, "you need to stay awake for just a little longer okay?"

Well it sounded like a guy's voice but not like anyone she knew....

"Rose!"

Startled, her eyes popped open and her gaze roamed around the room restlessly. She could just make out shapes and colors but her room was a blur.

She whimpered when those hands pressed against a sore spot.

"Sorry, sorry," he muttered. She shifted her gaze to him but couldn't make out any details. He had brown hair and was wearing a tan coat over a blue shirt and jeans, which was very odd...

"_I changed my mind, Rose," he says and his brown eyes are so soft as he stares at her._

But not as odd as the fact that she can't see which is just weird because she's always had perfect vision...

"_I'll catch you," he calls, raising his arms and she knows that she'll let go and trust him completely even as visions of herself hitting the ground flash through her mind._

_Because she's already fallen anyway._

She's never needed glasses at all unlike a couple of her friends, like Jessica who would always call her whenever she lost them and needed help finding them.....

_The clubs lights dance over their skin as they sway and he whispers, "I think that you are beautiful."_

And they always turned up under the couch but somehow Jess never seemed able to spot them....

_And he slides out of her, drawing the duvet over them both as she snuggles herself into his side._

Of course Jess wasn't as bad as Vivian who always got lost when she was driving...

"I love you," she murmurs, _and feels him press a kiss to her forehead as she drifts off._

"What?" His hands freeze in her hair and she shifts, rolling over to face him and grabbing at his hand because she feels much better when he's touching her for some reason.

"You're just a bad driver, " she tells Vivian. But that can't be right. Is Vivian there? She thought for sure it was some guy.

"Yeah," he tells her as she nuzzles his hand. "Just get some sleep okay? I'll wake you in a bit."

And she does as he tells her, holding his hand tightly.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

_Yay for cuteness. ^^_

_Song I was listening to: Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston_


	13. Just Forget The World

_Kou Shun'u: Glad you like. Jack hasn't met the Doctor yet. Technically._

_Addictedtofantasy: Glad you thought Mickey's entrance was so awesome. I thought it was about time he came into the story._

_The Alternative Source: You know I'm curious where I'm going with this as well. I just type as it comes to me and post it when I'm finished. Have you seen V for Vendetta by the way?_

_Anberzen: no, he takes care of her best he can doesn't he?_

_GSRgirlforever: Sorry it was so short.^^_

_Also, if anyone's interested, I found a mini series television drama that David Tennant starred you may have already heard of it or seen it it's called Secret Smile and you can wathc it on YouTube. It was so good. But I warn you if you do want to see it it's very creepy. Unsettling. Oh and for mature audiences only probably._

_**Announcement!** _

_I just wanted to put this up to let everyone know a few things. First is that, for the time being, I will probably not be posting a new chapter for a while. The reason being that I have lately come to feeling, well, depressed, and it doesn't put me much in a writing mood. And the reason being is actually due to certain things on this website. I know I'm being vague but I really don't wan to fully explain. _

_Second reason is that, and I apologize to all of you that have, I haven't really been getting a lot of feedback which makes me question whether this is a good story or if I'm just making a fool of myself. Well, that's how it feels anyway. _

_Third is that I'm getting swamped with schoolwork and I've come to realize that one of the people I considered my friend doesn't really care about me._

_It's just all added up really._

_I apologize profusely to the few that actually read my story and will try to update soon. I'm not abandoning this story._

_Bye for a while. :)_

________________________________________________________________________________

He walked down the stairs, his mind buzzing through the possibilities. There had to be a way to reverse it somehow.

There had to be a way where he could have her back. Because he needed her. Nine hundred years old and he had always tried to rely mainly on himself, being careful not to get to close to anyone or show emotions that would only cause him and them pain later. But against it all she had managed to break through his defenses entirely.

He hadn't even been really aware of it at first. But then he started to notice the little things that let him know.

How whenever she came into a room he would relax just a little bit more. How, whenever they were in danger, when she was by his side everything seemed just a little more hopeful. Whenever he lost someone again or the past crept up on him making him vulnerable and miserable, she would stay by his side and things seemed to be more bearable.

He opened the doors of the Tardis, absorbed in his thoughts.

Whenever she smiled, he smiled too. He would take her to places because he knew she would laugh or give him one of those smiles that made his hearts beat that much faster. How he more and more frequently grabbed her hand to assure himself she was still there.

There was no question anymore that he wasn't going to alter the time lines to bring her back. But there was more than enough doubt on whether he could. Certain events were fixed points in time and could not be changed. He would have to go about this carefully.

He paced as he thought, up an down the ramp, around the console, his hands wandering to pass over buttons and wires.

Absentmindedly he grabbed his tan coat and slipped it on, completely forgetting that he wasn't wearing his usual pin-striped attire.

Still absorbed in his planning he walked, muttering to himself and grumbling in frustration. Eventually he came to a shaky solution. A carefully crafted means of altering events that would hopefully work out; at least without anyone dying.

Pausing in mid step, he looked up and realized that the dirty frost windows had lightened considerably from the other side.

Irritably he fisted one hand through his hair, tugging on the messy locks before striding to the doors and opening them. The sun was shining brightly, temporarily blinding him after being accustomed to the gloom of the Tardis's exterior. How much time had passed?

Now that he had come here he would have to see what played out. How much had he managed to change things so far?

There were too many questions he didn't know the answer to. And he _always _had answers.

The sunlight streamed down on him, warming his skin, and , despite it all, he felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. And lighter. As though he didn't have as many problems when actually he had more.

It was very...._ strange _feeling so-- so mellow. Disconcerting somehow.

And he liked it.

Feeling peaceful and with his goal in mind he set off across the grass.

He should really check on Rose.

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He watched with something akin to dread as she set off down the street, seeming to walk around aimlessly. Was she subconsciously heading to the park or was it just coincidence?

He got more than a few stares as he followed her, speeding up his pace or slowing it in accordance to how she moved. He had to duck behind a wall once when she spun around unexpectedly to look through a window into a jewelery shop and earned himself a few suspicious looks and mutters.

He couldn't let her see him. Couldn't take the chance of having her recognize him.

His blood ran cold when she finally reached the park and plopped herself into the same swing she'd sat in last night, slumping into the same posture.

But he couldn't help but smile when he saw her push off and start to swing.

After a time she slowed, eventually stopping. He walked around the grassy terrain, keeping to the sidewalk as he edged forward, keeping watch of her from the corner of his eye.

He breathed a little lighter when he made it across the street and was standing in front of an alley. Resting against the side of the wall he saw her straighten, her eyes fixed on a bushy tailed squirrel in front of her.

Silently it took off, speeding across the grass to disappear behind the – oh no.

But it was too late, Rose had gotten up and followed after it, curiously studying the chipped blue paint of the Tardis.

No, he couldn't risk this.

She stared up at the sign above the doors and he saw her lips silently mouthing the words.

Stamping down on his panic he reached out with his mind and brushed her thoughts. He hadn't pushed down her memories too long ago and as a result his mind was still faintly connected to hers. Just a trace.

She blinked and started to turn her head and he took off, praying she would be curious enough to follow and knowing that she always had been and would. It was one of the things he loved about her.

He stepped around the wall at the end of the alley, pressing his back against it. Immediately he peeked around the corner and grinned when he saw her standing in the middle looking around in confusion and-- disappointment?

The grin was wiped off his face when he saw three young men corner her, backing her against the wall.

Part of him was amused.

Rose had always claimed that the only reason she ever got into trouble was because she was around him but it looked like she was doing just fine of attracting trouble on her own.

But the larger part of him was pissed.

His jaw locked when he watched one of them grab her wrist tightly and he saw her wince.

And oh he could feel it, simmering just below the surface.

Rage.

Breathingly heavily with the effort it took to stop himself from rounding the corner, he forced himself to look around the street.

He needed someone else to save her this time.

And when he found that perfect person he felt a smile break out across his lips.

Oh, of course it would have to be _him_.

This would probably be one of the only times in his very long life that he would ever be estactic to see Mickey Smith.

Running over to him, heedless of the fact that he seemed deep in conversation with another person walking next to him, he grabbed him by the cuff of his jacket and dragged him to the entrance of the alley.

"What the hell you doin'?" he yelled, twisting his arm out of his grip.

"Help her!" he thundered, in no mood to toy around explaining anything. He pointed down the alley and saw Mickey's gaze follow his finger to Rose.

Watched the play of emotions across his face. Fear, helplessness, anger, and , finally, determination.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Mickey called out, advancing into the alley. Without a word his friend, who had caught up, stood behind him and together they glared at the men.

The guys looked at each other and the one holding Rose's wrist opened his mouth as though to laugh but was cut off when Rose kicked him in the leg, pulling her arm from his hold and running towards them.

She had managed only a few halting steps before she tripped, landing on her side, her head knocking against the ground. The men took off, running across the street and out of sight.

"My god," Mickey breathed, sounding shocked.

He clapped him on the shoulder, offering him a warm smile.

"Well, go on, go see if she's alright."

Without looking behind him he strode off to circle around the park to the Tardis, listening to the sound of Mickey's footsteps fading away as he ran to save Rose.

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He waited until they left, Mickey locking the door behind him and -- hold on, wait. Why did Mickey get a key? He 'd never gotten one and he'd gone and given her one to the Tardis. Well that just wasn't fair.

Or maybe Jackie had given it to him? Honestly what did that woman have against him anyway?

Shaking his head he walked up the stairway once they'd passed by him, absorbed once more in conversation. He thought he heard Mickey say Rose's name.

Reaching the right door he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and held the lighted blue tip to the lock, swinging open the door once he'd heard the tell tale click.

Closing it behind him, he made for her bedroom.

Once inside he set to work immediately. He sat on the bed and leaned over her. He gently threaded his fingers through her hair, massaging the skin and checking for bumps or split skin.

It was her luck that she had both.

She pulled away from his hands, murmuring and rolling onto her side.

He sighed as he rolled her onto her back and continued his examination.

"Hmm. Definitely a concussion. And you're bleeding too. Of course Ricky the idiot wouldn't have thought to check."

He rolled his eyes.

Her eyes fluttered and her body suddenly relaxed.

"Rose," he called, "You need to stay awake for just a little longer okay?"

He head fell to the side and her breathing slowed.

"Rose!"

Her eyes flew open and roamed around the room, landing on nothing in particular and passing over him.

He was more worried for her safety than he was for his identity though. In this state she would hardly have been able to see him clearly anyway.

She cried out in pain and he pulled his hands back slightly, stilling his movements.

"Sorry, sorry," he muttered before continuing.

Her arms and legs shifted restlessly and she turned her head toward him, her eyes closed.

"I love you," she sighs and his hearts falter.

"What?" Had he been wrong? Did she...?

He pulls his hands away from her hair but she grabs one hand and rests her cheek on it, rolling to face him.

"You're just a bad driver," she states and he huffs.

He is _not_ a bad driver. He almost always gets where he's supposed to go. Most of the time.

But he smiles down at her.

"Yeah", he says softly as she nuzzles his hand, "Just get some sleep okay? I'll wake you in a bit."

She stills before sighing, holding his hand tightly.

And he wouldn't dream of letting go.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Sorry if there's any spelling mistakes. Bye for now._

_Song I was listening to: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol_


	14. I Miss You So

_Hello again to everyone. Sorry I was so low last time. I still have a mountain of schoolwork but I've finally come to a decision on my friend. I'm giving up. She's only nice to me when it benefits her or as a passing fancy and that's not a true friend. And I've also managed to push my spirits back up (with the help of you guys) and will finish this story as intended. Yay._

_Anyway thanks to you all. You are, and I really mean this, some of the best people there are. ^^_

_How are all of you guys? Sorry I was so selfish for a while there. Lotsa stress._

_Having watched all Doctor Who episodes and am waiting for new episodes I've started watching Torchwood because, at this point, even a mention of the Doctor is good enough for me. Only problem is now when I visualize what and how the Doctor would say in my story I hear Jack's voice and the way he would say it instead. That's not good. :)_

_Alternative Source: Did you get my message?_

_On with the tale._

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

He makes sure to wake her every thirty minutes or so, checking her vitals. She moans weakly in protest every time.

After the first half hour he goes into the bathroom, searching for a washcloth. He spots one, a small pink square thing, on the lip of the tub and grabs it, running it under cold water in the sink.

He pauses on his way back, checking the time by the small clock in the kitchen. Not good.

Quickly walking back to Rose's bedroom, he sits next to her, propping her head up on the pillows and parting her hair at the right spot. Quickly dabbing at the wound, he checks the size of her gash and finds it's not as deep as he feared it had been.

Gently he presses the rag to the cut and she hisses, turning her head from him, her eyes clenched shut.

He whispers to her, reassuring her and slowly turns her head back. Once more touching the cloth to her injury, he carefully wipes away the blood and small smudges of dirt. Hmm, it could get infected if it's not looked at properly.

With great care he finishes and rummages in his pockets.

___________________________________________________________________________

She's in that comfortable place between asleep and awake, floating pleasantly when she feels it.

Something tugging hard at her cut, and she jerks awake instantly, screaming. Someone is holding her down and yelling urgently but she doesn't know what they're saying because she sees something gleaming on her shoulder.

Whoever it is is restraining her, holding her wrists tightly on either side of her head but she can still see it. There's a bright splotch of blood on her shirt, steadily staining the fabric.

She's never been one to get queasy at the sight of blood but her head is spinning and she struggles against whoever is holding her.

_They're running down the street and she laughs, not caring that people are staring at her as though they're mad. _

_Because maybe they are._

_And she loves the feel of her hand in his._

She jerks, the sheets becoming tangled around her legs as the vision invades her mind. But that had never happened had it? Her cheeks feel wet and cold and she realizes she's crying.

_She's sitting on the couch, enjoying a cup of tea and her mum's telling her the latest gossip, while reading a magazine. She laughs when mum find a picture of Orlando Bloom and sighs over it. _

"_I'm telling you, Rose if I was only a few years younger..." she sighs wistfully, staring down at the glossy picture and Rose stifles her giggles against her hand._

An onslaught of memories burst through her thoughts, tangling and twining. And she can't tell what's real and whats not.

_Mickey and her are walking side by side down the street, laughing. He's teasing her about her hair, which is a little frizzy today because of the humid weather, and she sticks her tongue out at him and slaps him, giggling at his wounded expression._

There's an awful sound ringing in her ears because someone is screaming. It's so piercing it seems to go right through her and she wishes whoever it was would stop. She can't take it.

_She's five today and Mum said she could go outside and play. She loves the warm wheather and bounces her bright blue ball against the pavement, wishing other kids were there to play with her._

_The ball rolls out of her reach and she runs to get it. She trips and scrapes her knee, crying because it hurts so bad. And then a nice man is there putting a band-aid on her cut and her Mum is thanking him._

Above the hysterical screaming she can faintly hear something else. Someone's yelling and she wishes she knew what they were saying because their voice sounds so soothing. Her body spasms as the memories hit her forcefully and the hold on her wrists convulses as whoever it is gets a better grip.

_She's swinging and she knows he's watching her as she goes higher and higher. The childish part of her is happy because she's always loved the swings._

_But it's even better with him next to her._

_It's always better with two._

Her head hurts and everythings a blur. Someone's cradling her, whispering into her ear and something pricks her arm and she feels so sleepy....

"_I'll walk you home," he says and she doesn't think four words have ever made her as happy._

Her body relaxes but still the thoughts force themselves in her head. They slow and she's starting to find it harder to focus on anything.

_I skip a heart beat for you._

And then everything fades away.

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Her body goes slack and her head lolls to the side, eyes closing slowly.

He sighs in relief, tucking the small syringe back into his pocket. She should be out cold for the next eight hours. But her screams.....

He shudders. That may well haunt him for the rest of his long life.

He tucks her in, gazing at her sleeping face. She doesn't look peaceful, just.... empty.

He lies next her and counts down the minutes, making sure she keeps breathing.

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She sits up, abruptly awake, feeling sick and achy. She kicks the rumpled blankets from her legs, wiping sweat away from her forehead and collarbone with her hand.

She stumbles from bed on shaky legs, leaning against the wall when she reaches the living room and listening to the comforting sounds of her mum bustling about in the kitchen.

And then Jackie steps out from the kitchen, holding a cup of tea and chattering away as soon as she spots Rose . She smiles at the comforting normalcy of it.

"Finally up then? I been in a fit for hours, just ask Shireen. Worried sick we were. You should really thank Mickey you know. God knows what would have happened to you otherwise and me just sitting here wondering if you'd be okay."

Jackie sets the cup down on the coffee table and turns to her.

"Well don't just stand there. Come on sit down, tell me all about it."

She pushes Rose onto the couch and sits next to her, putting a hand on her knee. Rose lets her head fall back to rest on the couch and sighs. She feels as though she hasn't slept in days.

"Go on then," Jackie urges and she bites her lip.

Something is hovering on the edges of her thoughts. Like when you try to remember something only to forget it later, desperately searching for it because you know it's important.

And then it hits her.

Everything comes rushing back and she gasps. It was as though a part of her had been missing and she hadn't even known.

_A brief hug in a crowded store._

_Dancing on the stage._

_Walking home filled with excitement and apprehension._

_Moving on the bed._

_His fingers lightly touch her temple and she feels....something sweeping her memories back and her eyes fly open, seeing him and not knowing who he is._

_He's running around the corner and she needs to see him, not knowing why._

_He's holding her. She can tell because she can smell him. And someone's screaming so loudly._

She whips around to face her mum on the couch, holding her hand so tightly Jackie protests, pulling away.

"Mum? Mum, this is important. Did you see anyone here? Was there a man with—with brown hair and a brown coat? Kind of skinny?"

Jackie pulls her hands away, shifting away from her and reaching for her cup.

"No, of course not. No one's been here except you me and Mickey, sweetheart. I asked Mickey and he said he'd locked the door on the way out and, since you was out cold, no one else could have got in. Why?"

She stares at the coffee table, ignoring her mum's question and absentmindedly reaches up to run her hand through her hair as she thinks.

She stops when her fingers find a welt of rough plastic thread fused to her flesh.

Her fingers come away and she stares at them as she thinks.

She could remember this. Barely, but it was there. She could remember the tugging sensation at her scalp and seeing the blood on her shirt, feeling comforted by his voice.

"But he was here. He-- I've got stitches, look."

Jackie stared at her daughter as though fearing for her sanity.

"Well of course you do, Mickey took you to hospital, didn't he?"

With a comforting pat on her knee, her mum gets up, taking her empty cup into the kitchen and Rose rises from the couch to stand by the window.

Drawing the curtains to the side she stares out, her gaze roaming over the scraps of paper on the ground, the graffiti on the walls, the blue box at the corner, the pigeon swooping across the sky.

He was real. He had to be.

And she would find him.

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_I'm back. _:)

_Song I was listening to: Where'd you go? By Fort Minor_


	15. Lesson Learned In Time

_Hello again._

_First off to The Alternative .. It was so cute and funny and every time I saw my name I couldn't stop giggling . To be honest I can't really guess the outcome of this story either but it will be a happy one. I'll look up some of those books as soon as I have a chance. I'm so glad I started writing again. When I first joined FF. Net I only had one story and that was two years ago. But I got so busy with school and didn't have a computer really so I didn't write for those two years. I'm glad I came back. Sorry if this is a random message. :)_

_GSRgirlforever: Thank you for your support. And you're right._

_Kou Shun'u: Well yes, I suppose. But keep in mind he was mainly monoriting Doctor in Cardiff and on the rift. When he did meet up with the Doctor he barely even had time to grab onto the Tardis before the Doctor was off. So even if he had known the Doctor was nearby he wouldn't have had enough time to get there. I think._

_Addicted to fantasy: Gotten bored of my story already? ^^_

_Lots of love to you guys._

_____________________________________________________________________________________________ _

_**Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road**_

_**Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go**_

_**__________________________________________________________________________________**_

He's setting the coordinates, gritting his teeth against the urge to go back and check on her. To see if she's okay. And because he already misses her.

But he can't see her again. At least not for now.

He exhales slowly, closing his eyes and going over the details of his plan one last time. If he succeeded than he would see Rose again. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his brown coat, glad to be wearing his usual suit once more.

His eyes open and he pushes one last button, then grips the console as it rocks.

The Tardis starts up, the disks inside the column moving in sync with the rhythmic noise. He checks the monitor to be sure of the time and place as the sound dies down.

He's never needed to be more sure of a location and date than now.

He walks to the doors, carefully cracking open the door and peeking out. He can see it, the shop, can remember that night so clearly. Tracking the living plastic, breaking into the shop from the back, the detonator in his pocket. And then he had heard it. The voice of a girl, terrified yet demanding.

"_Right, I've got the joke. Who's idea was this?Is it Derrick's?Is it? Derrick is this you?"_

He had cursed. Great, just great, he had thought. Some silly little human ape had wandered in and got caught in the cross hairs.

He had raced down the hallway, desperately hoping he could save her in time.

He could remember pushing through those doors and seeing her. She had been next to the door, which was lucky he supposed. She had her eyes clenched and her teeth gritted in fear, her head bent and expecting a blow as the plastic dummy in front of her raised it's stiff arm.

And he had changed everything in his world without even knowing it.

He had grabbed her hand and told her, _"Run."_, his eyes meeting hers, and seeing the shock in their brown depths.

She had taken off with him and they'd bolted down the corridor, the plastic creatures hot on their heels, only barely managing to escape by rushing into an elevator. He had thought it amusing at the time. One of the only times his life might have been saved by an elevator.

He thought of their first conversation, him standing there, impatiently waiting for the doors to open so he could get rid of her and go to the roof to install the device.

He didn't need any more deaths on his conscience.

"_You pulled his arm off." It sounds like a question._

"_Yep." He tosses it at her, watching her fumble to catch it. "Plastic."_

"_Very clever", she says, clutching the arm in both hands and give him an accusing look, "Nice trick. Who are they then? Students? Is this a student thing or what?"_

_He couldn't follow her train of thought. "Why would they be students?"_

_She gives him a blank stare. "I don't know."_

_He could almost roll his eyes. "Well, you said it. Why students?"_

"_'Cuz," she says breathlessly, "to get that many people dressed up and bein' silly they gotta be students."_

_He looks over his shoulder at her, smiling. "That makes sense. Well done."_

"_Thanks." He can hear the hint of relief in her voice and almost feels pity for her. She thinks she's solved it. That it's a silly prank from harmless kids._

"_They're not students."_

"_Whoever they are when Wilson finds them he's going to call the police."_

"_Who's Wilson?" Did he forget someone? He was sure there was no one else here...._

"_Chief electrician."_

_Ah. "Wilson's dead."_

_Finally the doors open and he walks out, her following._

"_That's not funny. That's sick." She sounds so outraged. But he needs to focus. More important things to be doing than chatting._

_He grabs her upper arms, pushing her to the side, behind him._

"_Hold on. Mind your eyes." He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and held it to the arrow button for the elevator._

"_I've had enough of this now!"_

_It sparks and he hears a snapping noise._

_Satisfied that he short circuited the controls to the elevator, he quickly pockets it, ignoring her voice as she runs to keep up with, striding down the hallway._

"_Who are you then?Who's that lot down there?I said, who are they?!"_

"_They're made of plastic", he answers shortly, "living plastic creatures."_

_He pushes through the plastic flaps and turns down the hallway._

"_And they're being controlled by a relay device on the roof. Which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He pulls the detonator out and flashes it at her before turning to the door. _

"_So, I'm going to go upstairs and blow it up. And I might well die in the process but don't worry about me. No. Go, go on, go and have your lovely beans on toast."_

_He shuffles her out the door, the device in his hand beeping, set to go off._

"_Don't tell anyone about this, 'cuz if you do you'll get them killed."_

He had shut the door, ready to race up to the roof. He didn't know why but he had opened the door again, seeing her standing in the same spot, plastic arm in hand, staring at him, startled.

"_I'm the Doctor by the way. What's your name?"_

"_Rose."_

"_Nice to meet you, Rose. Now run for your life."_

_He shakes the device at her to emphasize his point and sees her eyes widen in disbelief._

And on his way up the stairs he had peeked out a window and saw her half walking half running across the street. He had set the detonator on the roof and barely had time to find a quick stairwell down before the whole store became a flaming mass.

He smiles at the memory, knowing that, for some intents and purposes, it was actually happening right now. He hid around the side of the Tardis when he saw Rose run across the street, looking at the building in confusion. It exploded, showering glass and bits of brick onto the road. She jumped and ran down the sidewalk, past his Tardis. He watched her go by, wishing he could step out.

Ah, there he was. His younger self was running across the street as well, looking over his shoulder at the burning building. He made to run past, not even seeing the Tardis, his eyes fixed on the wreckage.

But even now he knew what his ninth self was thinking. He wasn't thinking of plastic or flames, or what he would have to do next.

He was thinking of a pink and yellow human he had just met.

He reached out and snagged the elbow of his jacket, stepping from the shadows, he whirled and stepped into the Tardis, pulling his younger self inside with him.

He watched himself gaze about the Tardis in astonishment and confusion. His eyes fixed on him at last, the blue in them seeming over bright.

"You need to listen to me", he says softly.

"Because you have a decision to make."

His younger self seems frozen, shocked past speech. When he finally finds his voice his tone is anguished.

"What have you done?" he whispers.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Hm. I'm toying with the idea of ending it there and then doing a sequel from ninths point of view after he talks with tenth and has to make his decision. What do you guys think?_

_Song I was listening to: Good Riddance ( Time of Your Life) by Green Day_


	16. I Find It Hard To Take

_Hello again._

_Thank you for reviewing:_

_GemTheGirlMarauder_

_The-Despondent-Insomniac_

_xxPGxx_

_anberzen_

_clarklit05_

_GSRgirlforever_

_and as always, The Alternative Source_

_Now in response to all the reviews:_

_Calm. Down.^^_

_I will be continuing this story as is and probably will not be posting a seqeul. At least until I feel it's truly ready._

_This is dedicated to all who reviewed. Enjoy._

___________________________________________________________________________________

_**Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow**_

_**No tomorrow, no tomorrow**_

**__________________________________________________________________________**

He runs across the street in the same direction that the girl, Rose, had gone. Looking over his shoulder, he watches glass shower the street and sidewalk and feels the ground tremble beneath his feet as the building erupts with smaller explosions, flames dancing and twisting through the windows, the whole rooftop blazing.

He's running at a slower pace than he usually would and he'd like to tell himself it's because he's being careful. Making sure that he's not being followed or that no one had seen him leaving the building. Perhaps waiting to see if some of the plastic creatures had survived.

But he's not.

Instead he's thinking of warm brown eyes and bright blond hair. Of a pink jacket and a outraged voice. And he's telling himself that he'll never see her again. Because really, what are the odds that he ever runs into somebody twice?

And he's ignoring the fact that he wants to see her again. Much more than he should.

But his train of thought abruptly derails when something snags the elbow of his jacket and, tripping, he's pulled into a familiar enclosed space and softly glowing green lights.

He gazes about the Tardis in astonishment and all he can think is ,_ this isn't where I parked her...._

His eyes finally focus on what had pulled him inside, the owner of this other Tardis.

The man in front of him is skinny to an almost alarming degree, wearing a brown pin-striped suit. But his tie is hastily knotted, his collar slightly turned up. The brown coat he's wearing looks much too large for him, just stopping at his ankles.

His eyes are drawn to this other man's eyes. And he doesn't need to question him, to demand who he is. Because he already knows.

Oh, gods. This couldn't be happening.

"You need to listen to me," he says, his large brown eyes earnest and his tone pleading.

"Because you have a decision to make."

He focuses on those eyes and notices that there's something wild about them, something not quite right, and wonders what has happened to his future self. But it's not for him to know.

"What have you done?" he forces out in a rough whisper.

"Listen--" the younger looking regeneration says but he cuts him off.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!"

"I know, I know," he says, running his fingers through his brown hair and making it stick up wildly.

"But there is something more important than the damage I may have caused. And it's not completely impossible for me to cross my own time line as you know--"

"But it should be!" He doesn't care that he's cut him off again, or that he's starting to look angry.

If the council had ever learned about this....

But that's right. There is no council anymore. And with this realization comes a strange calm that settles over him and he crosses his leather clad arms across his chest, fixing himself with an even stare.

He sees his other self soften slightly, the anger draining away, and he sees pity in those weary brown orbs and wonders how this guilt he's feeling now has ever subsided in his older self.

"I know that I can't, or rather that I shouldn't, tell you about the future. Spoilers and all that. But you have to make a choice because I can't."

He's listening intently even as he wants to stop his ears and march out the doors. It feels all wrong.

"That girl you just met, Rose. One day she's going to become the most important person to you. Ever. I can't tell you how but you are going to be forced to make a decision. To love her or let her go."

His mind is stuck on the word _love_ and slowly the pieces of the puzzle start to click in his head. Why his other self seems so desperate, that soft yet broken expression in his eyes, the fidgety ways he moves, as though he's used to someone being by his side.....

"If--" he brakes off, "-- when-- you realize she is worth holding onto , I'll be there. Because, Doctor, she is worth fighting for. She's even worth burning up a sun for." His lips twist into a rueful smile as though laughing at a private joke.

He comes forward and starts to push him out the doors but he stops once he's passed through, turning to himself.

"If she's so worth risking this,_ Doctor, _why don't you just bloody hold onto her then?"

His other self smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes, giving him a haunted look.

"Because that option is no longer available to me."

The doors closed and a few minutes later the Tardis dematerialized leaving him there with his thoughts, a fire still raging behind him.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Ooooo. Getting good now, huh? Don't worry this isn't the last we'll see of the tenth._

_By the way it was my birthday this past April first. Go me._

_Happy Easter._

_Song I was listening to: Mad World by Gary Jules_


	17. You Found Me

_Hello again :)_

_Sorry I've had a lack of updates. I've gotten lazy, I know. I'm currently at my grandparents house and it's apparently the birthday of a cousin I didn't even know I had. Yay._

_Anyway thank you so much for reviewing:_

_waitn77_

_jessica louise_

_Saucy-Duck_

_Addictedtofantasy_

_Zarra Rous_

_anberzen_

_This chapter is especially dedicated to The Alternative Source for being an awesome friend and reviewer and to Nyah86 who signed up just to review this story. :) Thank you guys so much!_

_Also, and this is important, **I'm not abandoning this story.** So please relax. I've just gotten lazy. Sorry for any spelling errors._

_______________________________________________________________________________

_**In the end, everyone ends up alone**_

_**Losing her, the only one who's ever known**_

_**_____________________________________________________________________**_

It had been two weeks now. Two weeks since she had stared out the window and vowed to find him and still she was having no luck. And it wasn't for lack of trying either. She'd done everything except hand out flyer's with his picture on them. She didn't even have a picture of him though, which might have helped.

Two weeks and she was seriously considering whether or not she had just made him up.

Nobody except her remembered him. Her mother, well used to the subject by now, shook her head at the very mention of him and would say , "Rose, you won't find him, sweetheart_** .**_", with a well placed exasperated sigh as though she had heard her ask about him a million times_**.**_

Which, to be fair, she probably had.

But she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him and, after trying the first week, had given up altogether on trying not to wonder where he was and what he was doing. If he was thinking about her, or if he was happy, or what he was doing, and why had he had just taken off and where he could have possibly gone to.

But every person she asked had never seen a tall skinny man with great hair and lonely eyes. Not her mum, not Mickey, though he tended to change the subject whenever she asked, not even Michelle, who had teased her about liking him so much.

She'd even gone so far as to ask the manager of Henrik's if she could see the security footage from the day she met him in the store. With some help from Michelle and, surprisingly from Wilson, who was a very kind old man and was chief electrician for the building, she had reviewed the tape only to find that something had damaged the footage. All she could see was static.

It frustrated her to the point of tears.

But more than that it scared her.

Because even though most of it had come back to her, all the things they'd done together, she couldn't remember it all clearly. Certain parts of her memory were hazy, and though she tried hard, bits and pieces were blank in her mind. She found it difficult to recall his smile, his gestures, his voice. It was as though her memory were a piece of film that had been damaged so only certain scenes were left and in poor quality.

And over time she found she forgot more and more everyday. To the point were it became a struggle to remember his voice and how his hand had felt in hers.

By Monday of the second week she forgot that his eyes were brown and the looks he had given her full of warmth.

By Wednesday she couldn't remember what he had been wearing or how she had met him.

By Friday she was frantic when she could no longer recall where they gone that night or most of what they had done.

And by Sunday she found that his face was a blur in her mind.

It terrified her more than anything in her life ever had. The person she loved more than anything was fading away.

Why had he been with her in the first place? She couldn't....

She stared out the window and focused her attention on a faded poster on the dirty brick wall.

What had she been thinking about? She didn't know....

"Rose!"

She jumped and spun around to face Jackie. She bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh.

"Oi, what's with that look, young lady?"

She let a small laugh escape her as she looked her mother up and down.

"Is that what you're wearing to the party?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah", her mum answered, grinning, and spun so her outfit could be viewed from all sides, "thought I'd go for a bit of a posh look tonight."

She tugged at her sparkled tank top and Rose smiled.

Her mother was wearing a tight black tank top that looked as though it had been submerged in a tub of glitter and tight black jeans. It didn't necessarily look bad on her, Rose just wasn't used to seeing her in anything other than a tracksuit or a nightgown.

"Are you ready yet? You can't be late for your own party Rose," Jackie said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah," she replied slowly, struggling with that uncomfortable feeling you get when you lose your train of thought. What was she doing at the window anyway?

She had been getting dressed and something had been worrying her, some memory that kept slipping from her mind, and she had gone to the window, which was important for some reason. Something about a promise....?

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, having one last glance out the window before she closed the curtains and walked into the kitchen.

"Have you seen my purse?" she asked.

Jackie gave her a stern look. "No. And you wouldn't be needing it tonight either would you? We already told you that since it's your birthday you're not paying for anythin'."

"Alright, alright," she mumbled, a little irritated. She didn't want her purse for money, she just didn't want to go anywhere without her pepper spray. Being attacked wasn't exactly fun.

Come to think of it, Mickey still wouldn't tell her how he'd found her. But why would he hide something from her? He had probably just been out walking and stumbled across her being surrounded, but.... something about the look in his eyes whenever she mentioned it told her otherwise.

She walked out the door and waited for her mum to catch up. She loved the feel of the breeze and took a deep breath. Tonight they were having a party for her birthday and she wasn't going to spend it worrying about silly stuff like that.

She smiled as Jackie stepped out and shivered, crossing her arms, which had broken out in goosebumps.

"That's what you get for not wearin' a jacket," she teased.

Jackie glared at her playfully. "Oh, shut it."

She locked the door and they set off down the stairs, laughing and chatting about the party and who would be there.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Halfway through the party and the small dance club they were in was packed. All her friends and guests were swaying on the dance floor while the DJ pumped out a steady techno beat and a few weary people slid into seats at the small rickety tables pushed up against the walls.

Rose forced her way outside through the crowd, nodding and smiling to a few of her friends that called out to her.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she found herself outside. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall behind her, letting the wind cool her overheated, sweaty skin.

"Hey, Rose."

She gave a little jump, startled, but smiled at Mickey, who didn't quite meet her gaze as he stared down at his scuffed trainers.

"Happy birthday." he said softly, leaning against the same wall as her.

"Thanks."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence and she closed her eyes again, tilting her head back.

"Would you go out with me?" he blurted suddenly and her eyes snapped open.

She pushed off from the wall and stared at him, surprised. He looked embarrassed but he met her gaze with an even stare.

She smiled warmly at him, reaching out to wind her fingers through his. "Yeah."

He beamed at her and kissed her softly.

" Wanna go back in yet?" He tugged at her clasped hand.

"No, thanks. Think I'll stay out here for a bit,"she said when something caught her eye.

She turned and saw a man standing across the street, gazing at her sadly. He was thin with wild brown hair, wearing a brown coat that covered him completely. Her eyes were riveted to him and she didn't want to look away because something about him was so familiar and comforting. With surprise she realized she felt _safe._

Slowly, so that her eyes could follow the movement, he raised his hand and gave her a small wave, smiling slightly.

She returned the gesture tentatively, wondering who he was.

He smiled so widely it took her off guard, like she had made him so happy just because she had waved back.....

She blinked and he was gone, a small crowd moving past the spot where he had just been.

"What is it?" Mickey asked, following her gaze."Did you forget something?"

"No," she replied dazedly, her eyes tracing the sidewalk and buildings, looking for any sign of the man she had just seen.

His hand tightened around hers and she allowed herself to be led back in the club, glancing over shoulder as the gloom of the nightclub swallowed them.

"Nothing."

____________________________________________________________________________________

_A/N: It's Rose's eighteenth birthday by the way._

_Sorry if this chapter's complete rubbish I've been away too long obviously._

_Once again, a big thanks to Nyah86 who has an excellent video up on YouTube you should check out._

_It's called Parallel Rose- The Dream AU. See if it reminds you of anything :)_

_Song I was listening to: You Found Me by The Fray_


	18. I Can't Shake Those Memories

_I'm back again ;)_

_Big thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed my story:_

_Cynth19, __addictedtofantasy, __LiveToFall-DieToFly, __doctorsgirl16, __startledsunshine, __RJ, __MiraTheracusia, __oddood, __GreenEyedBabe, __Anna,__watin77, __hanily, __Saucy-Duck, __Nyah86,__The Alternative Source_

_You guys are all so awesome :)_

_Now to address some of reviews I've received. Yes I know I get too in detail sometimes. I am trying to cut back so hopefully these chapters get better. I also know about the spoiler for David's last episode. About him and Rose (can't get too in detail for those that don't know)._

_I've been thinking about putting it in the story. Not sure yet. I would have a warning of course so that if you don't want to know you can skip the chapter. Anyone that haves a more in depth knowledge about the scene I am referring to, I would much appreciate if you would message me :)_

_And lastly this chapter is dedicated to The Alternative Source, Nyah86, and LiveToFall-DieToFly._

_Enjoy_

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_**Dreams, dreams of when we had just started things**_

_**Dreams of you and me**_

_**_________________________________________________________________________________**_

Rose woke in a panic, her heart thudding painfully fast. She bolted upright, her bangs plastered to the sides of her face by sweat and panted as she stared down at the sheet across her legs, a patch of light through the window from the lamp post outside giving it an orange glow. Raising one shaking hand, she clutched at her chest, trying to slow her erratic breathing.

She heard the blankets rustle next to her and felt the bed shake a bit.

"Something wrong?" Mickey mumbled.

Rose drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around her thighs, letting her forehead rest against her knees. The sweat on her forehead was rapidly cooling, her heart slowing to a healthier rate but she felt jittery.

"It's nothing." She smiled when she heard him snore.

She threw the sheet from her legs and slid off the bed, pausing when her feet brushed across the carpet of the floor to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Carefully making her way to the door, she opened it quietly, wincing when she heard the hinges creak. She slipped into the hallway and closed it softly behind her.

Pattering into the small kitchen of Mickey's apartment she glanced at the clock over the sink and sighed. It was well past two am in the morning and she felt exhausted. But she knew better than to think that she would get any sleep if she went back to bed now.

She set about making tea, letting the methodical process take up all her thoughts and trying to keep them off the very vivid dreams she had been having lately.

It was strange really. She had heard somewhere that when you sleep you dream about things that have been bothering you or things you really want to do. But hers were just weird.

It's not like she went to bed thinking: I really want to dream about about monsters and space shuttles and things.

But she did.

She poured herself a cup of tea and shuffled into what passed as a living room. Plopping down onto the couch she gazed blankly at her knees.

It was never any just one scene either. All these strange images raced through her mind, melding and shifting. Blurs of colors and flashes of places she'd never seen .

She frowned as she stared down at the mug clasped in her hands, trying to recall some of the sights she had gotten a glimpse of.

_She was standing in a church and a horrible screeching filled her ears._

_A hand gripped hers tightly as she stared forward, people reaching through the bars and swiping at her, their faces pale, their veins standing out a dark purple against their skin._

_The manacles clamped around her wrists were freezing and she could feel straw biting into her legs as she crouched._

_Colorful scribbles were pasted to the walls in what looked like a child's bedroom._

_Her cheek was pressed against the cold surface of a wall, tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks._

She felt a sliver of fear worm its way into her heart at that last one though she had no idea why. For the past two weeks now when she closed her eyes these sights and sounds haunted her, making it impossible to sleep. She would have written them off as her imagination but they felt so _real_.

And the very last thing she saw before her eyes flew open every night was a burning golden light filling her vision and an achingly beautiful song she could never remember....

It was probably best to forget them. They didn't really end or show much of anything anyway.

She ran a hand through her hair and set her cup down on the small coffee table. Walking over to the window, she pushed aside the curtain and stared down at the shadowed street. She tried to stamp down the disappointment she felt when she saw that it was devoid of anything except random bits of trash. She knew she was being silly. What was she expecting to see anyway?

She plucked at the sleeve of the over sized shirt Mickey had lent her and smiled softly. He was so sweet to her.

They were quickly falling into a pattern. He came to see her at work when she went on break so they could eat lunch together and she came round his place in the afternoon and they hung out and watched telly together or they went down to the pub. She let the curtain fall back and padded down the hall and back into the bedroom, the door giving a quiet click behind her.

In her absence Mickey had sprawled himself across the bed, his head hanging over one side, the blanket and sheet tangled around his legs and stomach. She smothered her giggles against her palm and snuck over to her side of the bed, cautiously pushing him over a bit , so she could slide under the covers.

She turned onto her side and gazed at the wall. He really was a great boyfriend. Loads better than Jimmy.

So why did she feel like she was waiting for someone else?

_______________________________________________________________________________

_I'm sorry if that wasn't very good. I don't really feel very confident about it. Anyway Rose is dreaming about some of the things the Doctor and her have seen but not about him. Yet. But they pass through her mind so quickly they kind of blur together which makes it hard to remember. I put this in for two reasons. I figured if the message Bad Wolf went back that far then when Rose stared into the Tardis some of the Bad Wolf stayed within her. And because she said she could see everything I though maybe traces of it would be with her in the past. Like Bad Wolf had been. Oh and also because of Nyah86's Parallel Rose vid. Because it's an interesting concept :)_

_**Announcement: **_If you like this story then I have great news for you. Nyah86 has posted a video for it on YouTube. Check it out because it's amazing. It's called Doctor Who-Heartbeat (AU).

_Song I was Listening to: Littlest Things by Lily Allen_


	19. Just Call My Name

_New chapter ;)_

_Sorry the last one was so crappy but I hope this is better. _

_To avoid confusion: this is the night before Rose meets the Doctor. As in the 9th Doctor._

__________________________________________________________________

_**Wherever I am you'll always be**_

_**More than just a memory**_

_**_________________________________________________________**_

"Hey, babe."

Rose's eyes flickered over to Mickey as he sat at their small table, a basket of chips in his hand. The wind gusted around them and blew a couple napkins off, swirling them away down the street. Instead of replying she leaned forward and snatched a chip up. Popping it in her mouth, she let her gaze travel back up to the night skies, squinting for any signs of stars.

Was that one? She couldn't be sure; it looked more like a satellite.

"What's with you, Rose?" Mickey asked and there was no mistaking the anger and hurt in his voice.

Her eyes snapped back to him. "What do you mean?"

A very small part of her felt guilty but she pushed it down. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"I dunno," he continued, his voice rising, " but you know exactly what I'm talking about. You're just distant these days, Rose. It's like I try to have a conversation with you and you're too busy staring up at the stars. I know I'm not the best boyfriend there is but--"

"No, Mickey, don't," she interrupted. She felt like kicking herself now. She knew she looked to the skies often but she couldn't seem to help it. It made her feel peaceful and it was comforting somehow, soothing a pain inside her she didn't even know she had. She stared down at the plastic surface of the table. "You're a wonderful boyfriend."

"You say that," Mickey said, his voice strained, " but you won't even look at me, Rose. It's like you're looking for something. But this is all there is."

He pushed his seat away and stood up abruptly, the chair crashing to the ground behind him, and walked away quickly, not looking back.

A tear made it's way down her cheek and she sniffed. She really was horrible, wasn't she? Everything Mickey had said was true and she hated it. This was all there was ever going to be. So why was she yearning for something more?

She should get up and apologize, she thought. She should run after him.

But she stayed glued to her seat and watched him walk away.

_________________________________________-

_Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

Rose eased her hand out from under the covers and slapped at the alarm clock, her fingers pressing the right button for beautiful silence. She pushed herself up, gazing blearily about the room, before throwing the covers off her legs and swinging them off the bed. Standing, she walked into the hallway and then the bathroom, huffing in irritation when her bangs fell into her eyes. Fumbling through the darkness of the small tiled room, her hand found the light switch and with a quick flick the room was flooded with iridescent light, making her wince.

She blinked a few times at her reflection and huffed. Her hair was a tangled frizzy mess, and her face make-up free wasn't something she would really brag about. Plugging in the straightening iron, she waited for it to heat up and leaned forward so she could she her face better in the mirror. She scratched at her chin idly and then reached for her makeup kit at the far corner of the counter. The locks flew opened and she shuffled through the contents, pondering what she should put on.

She wasn't exactly going anywhere special, just to work, so a bit of lip gloss and mascara should do. She took these items out and closed the box with a click, setting it back in the corner.

Picking up the iron, she went to work on her hair, wondering about the dream she'd had last night. Every now and then those disturbing places still flashed through her dreams but this time it had been different. She had heard a voice, a man's voice, calling to her.

He had sounded so sad, so lonely....

It was strange. Sometimes whenever she saw a certain scene a sense of deja vu came over her. It was as though something inside her was desperately fighting to remember something. Or someone.

With her hair done she applied the mascara and lip gloss and a little powder for good measure before shuffling back into her bedroom and throwing on her clothes. She glanced at the clock and blanched. She was going to be late if she didn't leave now.

She grabbed her purse in the living room and gave her mum a quick kiss goodbye before racing out the door and down the stairs.

________________________________-

Her mind was on automatic as she put different blouses on display, watching people come and go as the sun sank lower in the sky.

Mickey met her for lunch as usual and neither of them mentioned last night as they ate their food and he tried to make her laugh.

When the time came she gave him a kiss, went back to the store, and set about putting the last few shirts on display, moving some of the older ones back. She paused as she heard a pleasant female voice come over the speakers.

_This is a customer announcement. The store will be closing in five minutes._

Thank god for that, she thought tiredly as she saw the last few customers shuffle out the door.

Grabbing her purse she caught up to Michelle and Trisha as they were headed out. She was halfway out the door when she heard a loud "Oi!" behind her and a plastic bag filled her vision as the security guard shook it in her face. She snatched at the bag and stomped over to the elevator.

Why did she always have to take the lottery down? It was bad enough that Trisha was always trying to push the surlier customers off on her but somehow she had been designated as the only one to take the lottery to Wilson.

She rolled her eyes as the elevator descended and waited impatiently for the doors to open.

The doors slid open with a mechanical _ding_ and she stepped out, peering down the gloomy hallway and trying to stop a shiver from crawling up her body. This place was always so creepy. She felt bad for Wilson for having to stay down here.

"Wilson!" she called. "Wilson, I've got the lottery money! Wilson!" She walked over to the door and knocked. "You there?"

She tried the handle but it was locked. She felt like rolling her eyes again. Of course it would be.

"Look, I can't hang about cuz they're closing the shop," she said to the door, straining to hear anything on the other side. "Wilson!"

"Oh, come on," she muttered when she heard something crash further down the hallway. She jumped and spun around.

"Hello?" she asked uncertainly, her voice echoing down the corridor. That was weird. Wilson rarely ever left his office. "Hello, Wilson, it's Rose!" Her voice, tinny and loud, came back to her and she started down the hallway.

"Hello?" Why wouldn't he answer her? Was he hurt or something? Was there someone else down here?

She gulped and then chastised herself. Who else could possibly be down here?

But her voice shook as she called for him again.

She pushed open the door and the light from the corridor sped into the room, illuminating a small patch of the floor. She flicked the switch and with a buzz the lights came to life one at a time, flickering.

She hadn't been back here in a while and hesitantly stepped forward. "Wilson?"

She walked into the room and past several plastic dummies, feeling strangely unsettled by them.

Spotting the only other door to the room she strode over to it quickly, her hand curling around the handle when the door she came through slammed closed.

No! She ran towards it in a panic, tugging uselessly at the handles. It didn't budge.

"You're kidding me," she whispered. How was she supposed to get out now? Nobody would come looking for her until tomorrow.

Something, a bucket it sounded like, hit the floor. She spun round, her eyes vainly searching for signs of anyone. "Is that someone mucking about?" she yelled.

She walked back into the middle of the room. "Who is it?" If this was someone's idea of a joke, so help them....

Something creaked behind her and immediately her head whipped around. She blinked when her eyes alighted on what had squeaked.

There was no way. The light was splaying tricks on her or maybe her eyes were tired. She couldn't possibly be seeing this.

The plastic dummy which had been leaning against a pillar walked toward her unsteadily. She watched it warily.

"You got me, very funny." She hated the fact that her voice shook.

But he-- it-- kept coming and she saw another move behind it. What were they playing at?

"Right, I've got the joke. Whose idea was this? Derrick's? Is it Derrick's? Derrick, is this you?"

She was backing up faster now and gasped when she realized she was surrounded by these things.

They kept coming and she stumbled, nearly falling into some boxes, until they had her against a wall.

As one they raised their arms and she ducked her head, screwing her eyes shut. They were really going to--

A hand grasped hers and her eyes snapped to the side. A man was staring at her, his blue eyes wide and excited. He had short cropped hair and was wearing a leather jacket, a piece of her mind vaguely noted.

"Run." he said and she let him pull her to the side and felt steam hit her back as their arms came down and crashed through the pipe she had been leaning against.

They pushed through the faded blue doors together and raced down the hallway. Her sneakers were slapping against the cement, her heart knocking painfully in her chest. She could hear them gaining.

They pushed through another door and made for the elevator. The door was just sliding closed when one person stuck their arm through, swiping at her. The man in the leather jacket grabbed his arm and tugged, wrestling with the plastic person. With a pop the arm was jerked off and the doors slid closed.

"You pulled his arm off?" She doesn't mean for it to sound like a question. She supposes she might be in shock.

"Yep." He tosses it to her and she fumbles to catch it.

"Very clever. Nice trick." She's glaring at him, even though she knows he saved her, but she can't stop herself. This might've been his idea, after all. Who ever he is.

"Who are they then? Students? Is this a student thing or what?"

He gives her a confused look, his arms crossed. "Why would they be students?"

She stares at him. Is he serious?

She shakes her head. "I don't know."

She's still clutching the arm and the plastic feels cool against her palm. Her heart is still racing.

"Well you said it. Why students?"

"Cuz to get that many people dressed up and being silly they gotta be students."

He beams at her and she relaxes just a tiny bit. She knew it had to be a prank, after all.

"That makes sense. Well done."

"Thanks."

"They aren't students," he says shortly.

She's had enough of this. How did this guy even get in anyway?

"Whoever they are, when Wilson finds them he's gonna call the police."

"Who's Wilson?" His gaze is so intent for a moment that she forgets how to breathe.

"Chief electrician," she responds and feels proud that her voice doesn't waver.

"Wilson's dead." There's no feeling in his tone. Just matter of fact.

"That's not funny. That's sick." she says, glaring after him as she follows him out of the elevator.

"Hold on. Mind your eyes."

He pushes her to the side and takes some sort of weird pen thing out, pressing it against the buttons. She hears a buzzing noise and a small _bang_ as the controls emit a few sparks.

"I've had enough of this now!" she shouts, but he's already taken off down the corridor, leaving her behind. She rushes to catch up.

"Who are you then? Who are that lot down stairs? I said, who are they?!"

"They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures," he states dismissively " and they are being controlled by a relay device on the roof. Which would be a great big problem, if I didn't have this."

He takes a small beeping box out of his jacket and shakes it at her. She gives him a blank stare.

"So," he continues cheerfully, " I'm going to go upstairs and blow it up. And I might well die in the process. But don't worry about me, no." He puts a hand on her shoulder and pushes her out the door gently.

"You go on, go on, go and have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this 'cuz if you do you'll get them killed." His eyes flash and she can tell he's serious.

She stares at him, bewildered. Who is this man?

He closes the door and she turns around, dazed.

She hears a click and looks to the door again.

He's back. His blue eyes soften as he gazes at her.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"he asks pleasantly.

"Rose."

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life." He holds up the box again and grins before disappearing inside, slamming the door behind him.

Her eyes flit around the alley nervously before she takes off running. She slows when she reaches the sidewalk and leans against the building. What is she doing? That man-- the Doctor-- couldn't have been serious.

Yet she runs across the street anyway, automatically following his instruction and very nearly getting hit by a car.

She stares at the building, confused, and suddenly sees a great plume of fire billow out from the top floor, accompanied by a resounding _boom. _Glass and brick rain onto the street as the building burns and the ground trembles beneath her feet. People are running and screaming, tires squealing as cars lurch to a halt.

With one last glance she takes off running again, passing by a blue box, half hidden in the shadows of an alleyway.

________________________________________________________________________

_I hope this makes up for the past chapter ;)_

_Song I was listening to: If I Ever Leave This World Alive by Flogging Molly_


	20. It's Better To Say Too Much

_New chapter. Yay._

_I went to see Green Day on Aug.2. It was awesome_

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It still amazes me how many people like this story._

_I've been thinking of changing the genre though but I'm not sure. Is it still angsty or is it more drama? I can't really tell. To those of you who were confused I may or may not put the spoiler in, I just don't have enough info yet so I may have to make it vague. I know what you're thinking. If I was going to put it in shouldn't I have already because it's suppose to have already happened? You'll see. Spoilers :)_

_Thank you to all my awesome reviewers:_

_RJ, Sammie, watin77, addictedtofantasy, LiveToFall-DieToFly, Nyah86, GreenEyedBabe, Bronte __,Saucy-Duck, MiraTheracusia_

_________________________________________________________________________

_**Walking like a one man army, fighting with the shadows in your head**_

_**Living out the same old moment, knowing you'd better off instead**_

_**If you could only say what you need to say.**_

_**_______________________________________________________________**_

The Doctor's mind is spinning as he steps from his own Tardis into the bright morning sunshine, the other Doctor's words swirling around his thoughts until it's all he can think of. It was so ludicrous he wanted to laugh.

So believable he wanted to scream.

He pulled his sonic screwdriver from the pocket of his leather jacket, the lighted blue tip blinking. Checking the settings, he holds the button down and follows the signal it's picking up.

_One day she's going to be the most important person to you._

He's scowling as he walks briskly up a set of stairs. He needs to put it all out of his mind. He has more important things to be doing right now than dwell on an insane regeneration's point of view on his future. He wasn't supposed to know anything about it anyway, he thinks stubbornly.

The signal starts fading and he curses as he bounds up the next set of stairs, coming to an abrupt halt outside a faded beige door. The cat flap is swinging slightly so he bends down for a better look. Getting on his hands and knees, he peers at the small plastic flap. He pokes at it and watches as it swings toward him.

Barely a second later it moves forward, as though someone is prodding it from the other side.

He tenses, slipping the screwdriver back into his pocket with one hand and--

It pushes all the way forward, giving him a clear view inside and he sees shocked brown eyes staring at him from a familiar pretty face, straight blond hair tumbling down one shoulder.

She gasps and pulls back, the flap swinging back down in her place.

No. That couldn't have really been--

The door snaps open and she's standing there, the same girl from last night, wearing a pair of baggy blue jeans and a gray shirt with a white undershirt. Several bracelets are wrapped around one wrists and she gazes at him incredulously.

_You have to make a choice._

He stands up quickly, meeting her stare, and blurts out the first thing he can think of, "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," she retorts, looking him up and down like she can't believe he's real.

"Well, what'd you do that for?" he says, horrified. He should apologize and walk away. Or better yet, not apologize and walk away. But the signal was so strong here and he knows he can't.

"Because I do. I'm only at home because someone blew up my job."

A pair of lonely brown eyes pop into his head--_She is worth fighting for_-- and he pushes the memory back.

Damn it all, but he wasn't suppose to know what was going to happen.

He expected it to be hard to see how he would come to care for her in the future but it was all too easy. Rose was strong, he could tell. Any other woman in her place last night would have screamed bloody murder and broken down crying, but not her. With amazing courage she had stood by his side in the elevator, calmly discussing creatures that had been about to kill her.

Any other girl would have bolted as soon as the elevator stopped but she had stuck with him, and not just because she was confused and bewildered by the events taking place around her. He had seen the compassion in her eyes. Rose had been worried for him. _Him_. When she had very nearly been struck down in the dark not moments ago.

He has to get out of here.

Now.

He pulls out the screwdriver once more, and presses the button. The tip glows blue and he studies it, listening to the frequency for the pattern of the signal that the living plastic had been giving off. It's too faint.

"Must've got the wrong signal," he muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

"You're not plastic, are you?" he asks casually, reaching out and tapping her forehead with his closed fist, as though knocking a door. Rose blinks at him, astonished.

"Nope, bone head, bye then." He quickly turns away and makes for the stairs, not expecting her hand to reach out and grasp the arm of his jacket, forcibly pulling him inside the stuffy flat.

"You, inside, right now," she orders, closing the door behind him. He stares around curiously, taking in the small confines and clutter.

"Who is it?" he hears a woman call, her high pitched voice grating on his nerves.

Rose takes a few small steps and then leans around the side of a wall, looking into another room.

"It's about last night," she says, " he's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes."

Hmm. She's a pretty good liar.

That said she turns her back to the person in the room-- her mother?-- and strides into what might be called a living room.

He makes to follow her when the tinny voice stops him in his tracks.

"She deserves compensation!"

"Huh. We're taking millions," he answers, amused. The woman sitting on the edge of the bed looks like a much older version of Rose; her skin a bit saggier and her hair a bit more flat. She's bigger as well.

Bored with the scenery of her mother's room he glances behind him. Through an open doorway he can see a dark pink comforter strewn over a large bed, and painted pink walls.

Rose's mum clears her throat and his attention is unwillingly drawn back to her.

"I'm in my dressing gown," she says breathlessly, standing up and smoothing her hands down her sides.

Well obviously, he thinks. "Yes, you are."

"There's a strange man in my bedroom." She leans back slightly, fiddling with the ties or her robe as he stares at her, confused.

"Yes, there is."

"Well, anything could happen," she tells him, her eyes looking him up and down, her voice lowering.

Oh.

His mouth hangs open for a second as what she's offering sinks in and he promptly closes it.

It probably wouldn't be polite to laugh in her face, would it?

"No." He shakes his head to further his point and then walks away, into the living area.

Rose is moving magazines from the couch to the small glass coffee table as he walks in.

"Don't mind the mess," she tells him, quickly moving into the kitchen. "Do you want a coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk," he replies, wandering over to the table and picking up the magazine.

"We should go to the police," her voice floats back to him from her place in the kitchen, "seriously. Both of us."

He flips through the pages quickly, his eyes inspecting all of the different movie stars.

"Well that won't last," he comments, " He's gay and she's an alien."

He puts down the magazine only to pick up a novel near him, flipping the pages. "Hmm. Sad ending."

He can hear her from the kitchen, nattering away but he ignores it, choosing instead to pick up an envelope sitting on the counter. "Rose Tyler," he announces to the air.

He looks to the side and his reflection in the mirror stuck on the wall catches his attention. He walks up to it, gazing at himself speculatively. "Huh. Could have been worse. But look at the ears," he laments, flicking them with his fingers.

Great, now he looks like Dumbo. Oh well, can't be helped.

His attention is immediately captured by a deck of cards sitting innocently on the counter. Is he still good at card tricks, he wonders.

He picks the pack up singing, "Luck be a lady."

Well he's not much of a singer either apparently.

He shuffles the pack from one hand to the other, expertly, when suddenly the cards slip from his hands, flying up into the air and falling around him.

"Maybe not," he shrugs when a pattering sound reaches his ears. What was that?

"What's that then?" he calls to Rose Tyler, following the sound to the couch and gazing down at the gap between the furniture and the wall. "Have you got a cat?"

With a rush of air, a plastic arm jumps up, securing it's finger's around his throat and he chokes as she answers him, "No. We did have, but we used to get strays coming in off the estate."

He gasps for air as the fingers tighten and black spots dance across his vision. Help, he thinks desperately.

She walks into the room, carrying two white cups, and passes by him, ignoring his frantic attempts to get her attention. "I thought I told Mickey to chuck that out," she wonders.

"They're all the same," she sighs, placing the cups on the table, "give a man a plastic hand."

She shakes her head as though exasperated.

"Anyway," she continues, "I don't even know your name. Doctor-- what was it?"

He sputters as the hand finally slips a little and manages to push it from his throat, blessed air racing down into his lungs.

It hovers for a moment before racing through the air and latching onto Rose's face. Her hands come up to tug uselessly at it as a small cry escapes her.

He jumps up and rushes to her side, pulling at it.

Get off her, he thinks viciously. Don't hurt her.

He gives a great pull and she stumbles forward, knocking into him and causing them both to fall backwards, crashing through the table, glass shattering beneath their combined weight.

He pushes her away so that she falls onto the couch, struggling with it. He rips it away from her and whips out his sonic as she scrambles to the end of the couch, behind him. He quickly changes the settings, flipping from one to another in quick succession.

Which one, which one? Ah.

He pushes the lighted blue tip to it's palm and slowly it stops twitching, resting silently in his hold.

"It's all right, I stopped it," he says, triumphant, "There you go. You see?"

He chucks it to her and she flinches but catches it automatically.

"Armless," he grins.

"Do you think?" she says accusingly, sounding out of breath and irritated. She slaps him with it and he winces as it hits the side of his arm hard.

"Ow," he complains.

_The option is no longer available to me_.

Grabbing the arm from her he stands and practically runs out the door. The sooner he's out of here, the sooner Rose Tyler can get back to her life and forget all about him. He stubbornly pushes down the part of him that wants to stay by her.

"Hold on a minute," she yells, following him down the stairs, "you can't just go swanning off."

"Yes, I can," he yells back over his shoulder, "Here I am. This is me. Swannin' off. See ya."

"But that arm was moving! It tried to kill me!"

"Ten out of ten for observation," he says, as though questioning her mental capabilities. Maybe if he's rude she'll go away.

"You can't just walk away! That's not fair!"

Nope. Well, it was worth a try.

"You-- you've gotta tell me what's goin' on."

"No, I don't," he laughs, reaching the end of the stairwell. He pushes through the glass door and walks out into the sunshine.

"Alright then," Rose says, sounding dismissive, "I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. And you said if I did that I'd get people killed. So. Your choice. Tell me or I'll start talking."

He tries to keep the grin off his face but he doesn't think he does a very good job of it. He likes this girl already.

_Love her or let her go._

Stop. Just stop it.

"Is that supposed to sound tough?" he snorts.

Please go away, he thinks desperately, I don't want to care for you more than I already do.

"Sort of," she answers, still following him.

I don't want to fall in love with you.

"It doesn't work."

"Who are you?" she bursts out.

"I told you: the Doctor."

"Yeah," she continues, " but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor."

_**Please. Just go.**_

"The Doctor?" she questions.

"Hello!" he replies cheerfully.

Rose laughs and a smile slips across his lips. Despite it all, he feels better when she's near him.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?" she giggles.

"Sort of," he shrugs, his smile widening.

"Come on then," she begs, skipping up to his side and tentatively touching his arm. "You can tell me. I've seen enough."

She actually bats her eyelashes at him and he stares. That's just not fair.

"Are you the police?"

"No," he grumbles, "I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home."

"But what have I done wrong?" Rose cries and he can hear the fear in her voice.

He wants to reach out and comfort her; pull her into a hug and tell her everything will be alright because he's here.

He keeps his hands firmly by his sides and keeps walking.

"How come those plastic things keep coming after me?"

"Oh," he cries out, "So now the entire world revolves around you! You were just an accident."

She casts him a disbelieving look.

"You got in the way that's all," he assures her.

"It tried to kill me!" she shouts, not looking very assured.

"It was after me, not you! Last night in the shop I was there, you blundered in; almost ruined the whole thing. This morning I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down." He switches it from one hand to the other carelessly. "The only reason it fixed on you was because you met me."

"So what you're saying," she laughs, " is that the entire world revolves around you."

"Sort of, yeah."

"You're full of it!"

"Sort of, yeah."

"But all this plastic stuff. Who else knows about it?"

"No one," he tells her, quickening his stride.

"What, you're on your own?" He can hear the pity in her voice.

Not by choice, he thinks bitterly.

"Well, who else is there?" he snaps. "I mean you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly. While all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

This should be it. The part where it finally sinks in and she gets scared, breaking from his side to rush back to her flat and normality.

She reaches across him and plucks the plastic arm from his loose grip.

"'kay," she says simply.

"Start from the beginning."

Well.

He hadn't been expecting that.

_________________________________________________________

"Do you believe me?" he asks her and he can see that she does. A faint glimmer of knowledge reflects through her eyes and he can tell that she knows it's true.

"No," she responds immediately.

He smiles. "But you're still listening."

She stops and he walks past her, walking towards the Tardis on the other side of the street.

"Really though, Doctor. Tell me, who are you?"

He can hear all of her curiosity and anxiety in those words. Who she's anxious for he's not quite sure.

He looks back and sees her, standing there and staring at him expectantly, confusion and wonder in her gaze. But more than that he _sees _her.

She can't be more than eighteen years old, barely an adult by her societies terms and, compared to him, still a child. He can see innocence and honesty in her eyes and wishes that she would just turn away. Walk back to her home and dismiss the stranger that had burst into her life.

He never wants to see her courage fade away or that innocence die. He doesn't want to put her in danger.

He smiles sadly and can't meet her stare.

"You know like we were saying, about the Earth revolving?"

He walks up to her slowly, giving her every chance to back away. She stands her ground stubbornly.

"It's like when you're a kid. The first time they tell you that the worlds' turning and you just can't quite believe it 'cause everything looks like it's standing still."

He raises his gaze to her, staring intently into her warm brown eyes. "I can feel it."

He grasps her hand gently. "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour. And the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven miles an hour and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world and if we let go..."

He doesn't finish his sentence, just lets it hang dramatically in the air. He lets go of her hand and it falls limply back to her side.

"That's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler," he instructs her, taking the plastic arm from her.

"Go home."

He turns and walks to the Tardis, not looking back.

He doesn't ever want to put her in danger or see her hurt because of him.

So he won't.

He will never let her travel with him, he tells himself. It's best that she live out a normal life; boyfriend, chips, telly, all of it.

It doesn't make him feel any better as he leaves her standing there.

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_That seriously took a looong time. Whew. Anywho please review cuz they make me happy. And when I'm happy I write more chapters. ( evil smile) Sorry for any grammer or spelling mistakes and I tried to amke the dialouge as close to the episode as I could._

_See you all next time._

_Song I was listening to: Say by John Mayer_


	21. Guess Who Will Be There

_Hello again! Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been super busy. Got two jobs now. Anyhoo, I'll be trying to update this story more frequently and am also in the middle of editing it. So if you re-read a past chapter and it's slightly different that's why._

_Gigantic hugs for:_

_**All The Good Names Taken:** I believe I already said how much I enjoyed your review ^^ Hope I don't disappoint._

_**Cynth19:** Thank you so much for getting into the story. I hope you continue to love it :)_

_**Nyah86: **As always thank you for reading. We'll be seeing more of Nine don't worry._

_**Selene Tyler Smith:** Here's the update :)_

_**GreenEyedBabe:** Yes, I thought it would be interesting to follow the episode as it was so that it seems like this was what had been really going on underneath the show's plot line._

_**Sammie: **Thank you._

_**Meowbooks: **Yes, we all miss Nine. I'll be bawling for days when David leaves (sniffles) Thanks for all the reviews._

_**Oddood:** I seem to have stirred up a nostalgic storm when I brought Nine into the story :)_

_**LiveToFall-DieToFly: **Haven't heard from you in a while. How are you? You'll see what'll happen don't worry X3_

_**emeraldgirlie:** To be honest I don't know where I'm going with this either. I know how it'll end but the bits in between? Don't know :)_

_**The Alternative Source:**Yay, you're back! I figured you had gone out of town or something._

_Also, and this is important, I will not be following every episode between the Doctor and Rose because we've already seen it. But I will be writing certain episodes. Now that Nine knows what's to happen things will be changing._

_**Oh and I'll be changing perspective from the Doctor to Rose and vice versa in this chapter.**_

_And, without further ado, onto the story!_

__________________________________________________________________

**_Look around your world, pretty baby_**

**_Is it everything you'd hoped it'd be?_**

**___________________________________________________________**

"Now forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home," he said, his eyes lightening considerably. He waved the plastic arm in front of her before turning and crossing the street. She watched him go, her mind swirling.

He certainly knew how to make an impression, didn't he?

Feeling dazed, her thoughts full of plastic and the explosion from last night, she tore her gaze away from his retreating back and started the walk back to the flat.

Living plastic, a secret war, aliens trying to enslave mankind; it all sounded completely ridiculous. But she believed him.

Vaguely she thought of all the broken glass that must be waiting for her at home, lying on the floor, forgotten, after the arm attacked her. Her mum will go mental. She loved that coffee table.

The wind picked up, a gust of cold air swirling around her and carrying a strange grinding sound to her ears. Startled, she turned around, her eyes scanning the grassy park for the source of the noise.

It took her less time that it probably should to debate on whether or not she should go back and see the Doctor again. For all she knows, he's no better than the shop window aliens.

But she can tell that he is. And she trusts him.

She sprinted back down the path, following the sound.

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The Doctor watched from the screen as Rose ran back down the path, her face the picture of confusion when she realized he'd gone. Her eyes, shining with innocence, widened as they searched fruitlessly up and down the street.

Her shoulders slumped and he sees the resignation in her posture as she gives up and once again starts for home.

It's better this way, he told himself. She shouldn't get involved with him. He's doing the right thing by distancing himself from Rose.

The thought didn't cheer him up any as he exited the Tardis. He'd landed on another street corner. A pub is across the street, shops lining either side of it. Behind him is a field of grass, broken only by the winding gray of a sidewalk and a few weather beaten benches.

He leaned against the door to the Tardis and tilted his head to the sky, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He would not get involved with that girl. Maybe if he repeated it enough times it would strengthen his resolve more.

"Hello!" a cheerful voice chimed into his ear loudly. He jumped and nearly fell over as he snapped his head to the side to see who was beside him. One hand clutched the side of his Tardis as he straightened, trying to regain some of his balance and dignity.

His future regeneration was standing before him, looking entirely too pleased considering all the havoc he was wreaking in his own life.

The Doctor scowled at him, wondering if it would be too childish of him to stalk into the Tardis and slam the door behind him.

His tenth self beamed back at him. "Have you decided yet?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's good," Ten assured him, before reaching into the pocket of his tan coat and pulling something out. Clutching it tightly in one hand, he leaned against the doors to the Tardis and, with a look of deep concentration, snapped his wrist forward, allowing the object to fly from his hand.

The yellow Yo-Yo rolled to the end of it's string before racing back up, landing neatly in Ten's palm. He gave a happy hum as he repeated the process.

Nine stared at him.

"I've got a blue one if you want one too."

The comment snapped him out of his shock and he only barely managed to repress a snarl. His tenth form had crossed his own time line, messed with fixed events, and he was standing there _playing with a child's toy_.

He swore he could feel a headache coming on.

"Look, I'm not getting her involved in this, so you can just shove off back to wherever and whenever you came from, all right?" He didn't care if he was shouting.

Ten blinked at him in surprise, his owlish brown eyes darkening.

"No need to be so tetchy. If you don't like blue, I'm sure I have a green lying around somewhere."

Nine didn't trust himself to speak.

He swung around and pulled the doors to the Tardis open with more force than was probably necessary. A firm hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"Ask twice," Ten whispered in his ear.

He stiffened before shrugging the hand off and stepping inside, closing the doors quickly behind him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Please, just go," he pleaded, staring down into the pit as what looked like molten lava writhed, shrieking.

Rose saw them approach before he did--"Doctor!" --but it made no difference.

The two shop window dummies dressed in finely tailored suits marched forward. One grabbed the Doctor's arms, pinning them behind his back in a way that looked painful. The other reached into the pocket of his leather jacket as he struggled and withdrew a vial of blue liquid. He stared up at her for a moment that seemed endless and she knew what he was trying to convey silently in his desperate blue gaze. He wanted her to leave. And she probably should. She should grab Mickey and run as fast as she could to the surface.

She stayed where she was and tightened her grip on the railing, her nerves fraying with anxiety. He looked back down to the monster.

The creature screamed below, it's wail echoing around them, and even Rose could tell that it was beyond angry.

"That was just insurance!" The Doctor yelled quickly, "I wasn't going to use it!"

The lava folded in on itself, constantly changing shape as it screeched it's answer.

"I was not attacking you; I'm here to help! I'm not your enemy, I swear I'm not!"

It shrieked even louder, it's movements becoming more agitated. "What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, clearly confused. A wall slid open behind him, scratching against the floor as it moved to reveal his ship: the Tardis.

Rose shifted uneasily, wondering what she should do.

"No, no, honestly no!" The Doctor quieted for a moment and his tone was softer when he replied next. "Yes, that's my ship."

He glanced behind as the creature spoke again and when he turned back she could see that he looked incredulous. "No, that's not true! I should know; I was there! I fought in the war! It wasn't my fault!" He's back to shouting again and whatever he's talking about she can hear in the tone of his voice that it's making him upset.

"I couldn't save your world. I couldn't save any of them!" he shouted, his voice breaking.

She can't take this anymore. She needs to help him. After all, he's defending the Earth from these plastic alien things all on his own and what's she doing? Nothing.

"What's it doing?" she shouted down to the Doctor.

He twisted around to see her as he answered, "It's the Tardis! The Nestene thinks it superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final base! It's starting the invasion. Get out, Rose! Just leg it, now!" He renewed his struggles in vain. He wasn't going to be able to escape. And he wanted her to leave him.

Rose looked down at her cellphone, already scrolling through her contacts, torn with indecision.

She listened to the dial tone as she held it to her ear, fires erupting all around her.

"Mum?!" Please pick up, please pick up.

"_Oh, there you are. I was just going to phone. You can get compensation, I said so. I've got this document thing off the police. Don't thank me."_

"Where are you, mum?"

"_I'm in town!"_

She would be, Rose thought wryly. "No, go home! Just go home, right now!"

"_Darling, you're breaking up. Listen, I'm just gonna do a bit of late night shopping, I'll see you later. Tra!"_

"Mum? Mum?!" Too late. The phone beeped in her ear, signaling the end of the call.

What looked like a giant lightening bolt shot up from the ground and hit the ceiling with a bang, shaking the building.

"It's the activation signal! It's transmitting!" The Doctor's voice cut through her panic and she forced her thoughts off of Jackie, praying that nothing would happen to her clueless mother.

"It's the end of the world," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling.

"Get out, Rose! Just get out! **Run!**"

Part of the ceiling crumbled and fell as she realized, "The stairs have gone."

She raced to the Tardis and felt Mickey scrambling after her, hiding behind her back. She pounded on the doors. "I haven't got the key!" she wailed.

"We're gonna die!" Mickey screamed behind her.

She crouched down, Mickey clutching at her arms and sinking down with her, her eyes desperately roving the cavern for something-- anything-- that will get them out of this mess.

The Doctor was jerking frantically, trying to free himself from the dummy's clutches. All of a sudden he paused, halting his movements, and turned to look up at her.

There was no one holding her and there was probably another exit. If she was quick she might be able to find it and escape. But the Doctor couldn't.

Sh stood on shaky legs, capturing his bright blue eyes with her own, the white light shining down on the Tardis glowing behind her.

"_I can see everything. The whole of time and space," _a voice that sounded much like her own echoed in her thoughts distantly.

"Just leave him!" Mickey yelled, his thoughts having gone down the same path as hers.

No. She refused. Either they both got out of here or no one did. She wouldn't leave him. She couldn't.

She ran across the platform, picking up an ax from it's holder on the wall.

"I've got no A levels."

She raised it higher.

"No job."

She positioned the blade.

"No future," she laughed.

She swung it back.

"But I'll tell you what I have got."

She slammed it forward and the blade struck the the chain on the wall with a clang. She felt the impact reverberate down her arms.

"Junior score woman's gymnastic team. I've got the bronze." She grabbed the now free chain and wrapped her hands around it tightly. She turned around and, with a deep breath, lunged forward, hoping she wouldn't get herself killed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yeah, I can't. I've got to go an' find my mum. And someone's got to take care of this stupid lump." She patted the boy who was hugging her middle on the back and the Doctor tried not to look disappointed by her refusal. He didn't know what he was thinking anyway. Hadn't he already said, over and over, that he would never endanger her?

But he realizes now that as soon as he laid on eyes on her it was all a wasted effort. He couldn't help but ask her. She had saved his life, smiled with him, and held his hand.

He wanted to travel the stars with her. He wanted to see her smile again. For him.

"Okay," he answered.

She stared at him, looking as lost as he felt. He backed into the Tardis and closed the door, immediately setting coordinates.

A moment later it landed but he doesn't move, standing stock still next to the jump seat. The door opened and he turned his head away, screwing his eyes shut, knowing who would be there.

"Come on now, don't pout. I said to ask twice, didn't I?" Ten said cheerfully, coming to stand next to him.

"She said no." Nine doesn't open his eyes. And he's definitely not sulking.

"And I said to ask twice," he repeated.

He tugged at the collar of Nine's jacket, who opened his eyes reluctantly. Having garnered his attention, the brunette stuck his hand down the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a few crumpled looking bills, which he thrust at Nine, gesturing for him to take it.

"What's this for?" he said suspiciously, taking the money hesitantly.

"For chips, of course," Ten replied, rolling his eyes as though it should have been obvious.

Then his future regeneration turned and strolled down the ramp to the door, opening it.

"By the way, you might want to mention that it travels in time as well as space."

And, with a happy smile, he slipped out the open door which snapped closed behind him.

The Doctor stared after him speculatively before turning to the controls and resetting them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the same grinding noise as before, the Tardis reappeared and her heart lifted when she saw it.

The door opened and the Doctor popped his head out, smiling at her.

"By the way, did I mention that it also travels in time?"

He disappeared back into his ship, leaving the door open.

Rose didn't think twice this time. "Thanks," she told Mickey.

"For what?" he asked, obviously confused.

She gave him a soft smile. "Exactly."

Giving him a quick peck on the cheek she ran to the open door, smiling more widely than she can ever remember.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Good lord, that took forever. Okay, I apologize for any mix up between past and present tense, grammar errors, spelling, etc. Also I don't know british currency very well so I tried not to talk about it in too much detail. Also when I was wathcing the episode I found it hard to figure out what the Doctor and Rose were yelling sometimes so it's probably different from the original script. Forgive me!_

_Now I'm off to go watch Life On Mars. It's so awesome XD_

_See you all next time._

_Song I was listening to: Roll To Me by Del Amitri_


	22. Say Your Goodbyes If You've Got Someone

_Hello again everyone. I would like to say a huge thank you to all my reviewers. Rest assured it's only because of your support that I'm still on here. I've also got big news. Three very special people will be found in this story later on. Who and when will be revealed later ;)_

_Okay on to some special news. I've already pretty much decided that there will be a sequel to this story. I just have too many ideas for just one. _

_Warning: as I mentioned before I will be changing things that have happened in several episodes. Please don't be mad because, as much as I wish my story were real, it is just a piece of fiction._

_I will only be writing three episodes for the Ninth before he changes into Ten. Ten will also only get three episodes before something happens ;)_

_So if you want me to write any particulars please let me know. I'm sort of doing it by vote if that makes any sense. I'd write more for them but this story is already going to be long enough I think XD_

_Enjoy._

* * *

_**I believe the world is burning to the ground**_

_**Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out**_

_**Let's see how far we've come**_

_**Let's see how far we've come**_

**

* * *

**

The end of the world. He took her to the end of the world.

The world that she'd always known, her home, all her memories, and all the people she'd ever known were barely a footnote in history and she was going to watch it all burn before her. In the name of entertainment. She felt a little sick at the thought.

Maybe she shouldn't have teased him about thinking he was so impressive.

In comparison to her, he looked positively delighted at the prospect of her home going up in flames while they we surrounded by all sorts of aliens. She wasn't sure what to think about that but before she could even spare a thought for it, the woman, if she could even call it that, that was calling itself the last human from Earth stretched it's lips open and addressed the room at large.

"My father was a Texan, my mother was from the arctic desert. They were born on the Earth and they were the last to be buried in it's soil. I have come to honor them and say... _goodbye._" Her voice cracked at the end but Rose paid no attention to it as she walked around Cassandra. Who was just flat. Nothing was there. Was this what the human race had evolved into?

She could she Cassandra's lips moving and puckering from behind her. She was practically see through. How could this ever be considered normal? Why was she the only one who could see how wrong this was?

"But behold! I bring gifts!From Earth itself, the last remaining Ostrich egg," Cassandra announced, her voice high and girlish. Rose repressed a shudder as she watched one of the little blue men hold the egg out carefully, moving it from side to side so it could be seen clearly by everyone.

"Legend said it had a wingspan of fifty feet," she continued dramatically, "and blew fire from it's nostrils."

No it didn't, Rose thought hysterically. She wanted to laugh. But she was afraid that if she did she'd start crying.

"Or was that my third husband?" Cassandra chortled, " Oh no. Oh don't laugh." Yet she continued to chuckle at her own joke for a moment. "I'll get laugh lines."

Behind the tarp woman the door slid open and two blue men wheeled in a juke box. Rose hastily stepped back as they rolled it past her.

"And here, another rarity. According to the archives this was called an I pod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers," she stated. Rose glanced toward the Doctor uncertainly to find him studying her apprehensively. Like he was afraid she'd bolt suddenly or something. She couldn't blame him, she had no clue how she looked right now. All she could feel was shock. Everything was so different.

"Play on!" Cassandra ordered.

A button was pressed and then a record was being put on, clicks and whirs from the machine audible before a few beeps were heard, the opening to an eighties song Rose didn't like very much. But it was comforting somehow, hearing it now.

"Refreshments will now be served," the steward said. "Earth death in thirty minutes."

_Sometimes I feel I've got to run away_

_I've got to get away_

It was all too much. Nothing was left of her world, not here, not among these people who thought it was normal to see a planet die, who were idly chatting amongst each other over drinks on a space station. She couldn't take this.

Her gaze darted around the room, panicked. People in white cloaks, tree people, a little blue man in a motorized chair, a thin man in a suit with an unnatural shock of white hair, one large tank filled with a huge wrinkled face; they were so _alien_.

_From the pain you drive into the heart of me_

_The love we share_

_Seems to go nowhere_

_And I've lost my light_

No, she couldn't deal with this right now. She ran from the room, _For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night, _following her as the door snicked shut behind her.

She randomly turned left, letting her feet take her as far away as she wanted to be.

After a few more turns, Rose ended up at the end of a hallway and slumped against the frame of an elongated window, peering down at the calm blue planet below, watching flames lash out from the Sun, seeming to search for something to burn.

Footsteps sounded behind her and she turned, startled, to see a young woman before her, with ultramarine blue skin and cat like eyes. She was wearing a plain gray uniform, a cap snug on her head.

"I'm sorry," Rose said, "am I allowed to be in here?"

The woman looked to the side, bemused, before telling her, "You have to give us permission to talk."

Oh. Was this how it was in the future as well? The people in the other room hadn't needed permission, but some did?

"Uh... You have permission?" She meant it to be a statement but it came out sounding like a question. She mentally winced.

The woman smiled warmly at her. "Thank you. And, eh, no. You're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere."

"'Kay," Rose breathed, relieved, but the woman had already turned from her, pressing buttons on the wall Rose had been leaning against.

"What's your name?" she inquired, trying to sound friendly. This woman seemed different from the aliens she had seen in the other room. She seemed more open and nice, more _normal_ somehow.

The woman turned to stare at her, surprise evident on her face. "Raffalo."

"Raffalo," Rose said carefully, nodding.

"Yes, miss," she said with a smile, "I won't be long. Just got to carry out some maintenance."

Raffalo bent down, sitting back on her haunches, and started pulling at the metal grate attached to the wall.

"There's a tiny little glitch in The Face Of Boe and Yobaet's suite. There must be something blocking the system. They're not getting any hot water," she said matter of factly as she worked.

"So... you're a plumber?" Rose asked.

"That's right, miss."

"They still have plumbers?" she almost laughed. How strange that after all these years certain things could stay the same. Pieces of her world remaining. She felt relived almost.

"I hope so," Raffalo answered cheerfully, "Else I'm out of a job."

"Where are you from?" Rose asked eagerly. This had to the strangest conversation she'd ever had. Except for the talk she'd had with the Doctor about living plastic. Except this was made even stranger by the air of normalcy in their talk. She found she was enjoying it anyway.

"Chryspalliom."

"That's a planet, isn't it?"

"No," she said with a small smile, "Chryspalliom's part of the Jaggard brocade, affiliated to the scarlet junction, Convex fifty six. And where are you from, miss? If you don't mind me asking?"

"No, not at all," Rose assured her. But what was she suppose to tell her? That her home was below them as they spoke, inching closer to death every minute?

"Um, I dunno. A long way away. I just sort of hitched a lift with this man. Didn't even think about it. Don't even know who he is...." she trailed off as she realized what she had done. She'd just hopped into an alien ship with a man she didn't even know, hold on, an _alien_ she didn't even know, with barely a thought for her mother and a goodbye kiss to Mickey. What was wrong with her? What if he never took her home? It was a ridiculous thought but she couldn't get rid of it.

It wasn't as though he'd kidnapped her, she tried to reassure herself. She'd come because she wanted to.

Still...

Raffalo was staring at her, a concerned expression crossing her face.

"Anyway," Rose said, brushing away the unpleasant thoughts, " don't let me keep you. Good luck with it."

She turned to leave.

"Thank you, miss and eh..."

She turned back and Raffalo looked at her shyly. " Thank you for the permission. Not many people are that considerate."

Great, Rose thought sourly. She was liking this place less by the minute. How did people act in the future if they couldn't respect others? Well, she was glad to have talked with Raffalo.

"Great. Well, see you later."

She gave a hesitant little wave before turning and starting down a different hallway, her mind filled with thoughts of the Doctor.

* * *

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting in the room they'd landed in but she didn't want to go back. Rose knew that she should probably go back and find the Doctor but she didn't know if he would even answer her questions and by now he was probably chatting it up with the tree woman who been eying him up, blatantly flirting with him and ignoring Rose's presence by his side.

She gritted her teeth in anger and ignored the steward's message of teleports over the comm system.

After all, what if she had been the Doctor's girlfriend or something? Not that she was but it had been rude to just assume and cast her aside.

"_**Earth death in twenty-five minutes. Earth death in twenty-five minutes."**_

"Oh, thanks," Rose muttered sarcastically, hefting the silver ball she'd been given from one hand to the other before letting it sit by her side and picking up the small sprout in it's little pot.

Everything was so different here. Maybe...?

"Hello," she said tentatively, " my name's Rose. That's a sort of plant. We might be related."

She put the plant down again, exasperated with herself.

"I'm talking to a twig."

She leaned back, gazing out the smooth glass window and watching the sun fizzle angrily.

A buzzing sound emitted from the door and the Doctor's muffled voice came through, "Rose? Are you in there?"

The door opened and he bounded in, quickly descending the steps to sit opposite from her, smiling excitedly.

"What'd you think then?" he asked her, looking at her face closely.

Uncomfortable with the attention and not wanting to ruin his enthusiasm she blurted out, "Great. Yeah fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper."

He laughed and looked out at the window as she bowed her head.

"They're just so alien," she said suddenly, unable to hold herself back. He looked at her expectantly.

"The aliens," she explained, " are so alien. You look at them and they're alien."

"Good thing I didn't take you to the deep south," he joked but his voice was serious and his eyes were sharp.

Rose leaned back onto one hand. "Where are you from?" she asked casually. She had a feeling he wouldn't tell her but her curiosity was eating at her.

He looked away, refusing to catch her eye. "All over the place," he responded, just as casually.

Yep, she'd been right.

"They all speak English."

"No, you just hear English," he told her and the enthusiasm was back, sparkling in his eyes as he looked at her, laying on his side.

"It's a gift of the Tardis. Telepathic field. Gets inside your brain and translates."

"It's inside my brain?"

"Well, in a good way."

She cannot believe this. How can he just allow his machine into her mind? Without even so much as a 'can I?' or a 'please' ?

"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind and you didn't even ask?"

He looked baffled. "I didn't even think about it like that."

"No you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the deep south!" she shot at him, angry and hurt. "Who are you then, Doctor? What you called? What sort of alien are you?"

"I'm just the Doctor." His voice was dark now, a warning, but she'd had too much to deal with and she wasn't letting this go.

"From what planet?"

"Well, it's not as if you'd know where it is!" he laughed.

"Where are you from?" she demanded.

"What does it matter?" His eyes are blazing with anger now, the blue in them much darker.

"Tell me who you are!"

"This is who I am! Right here, right now, all right?! All that counts is here and now and this is me!"

"Yeah and I'm here too 'cause you brought me here, so just tell me!"

He got up abruptly, walking down the last few steps to stand aside the window, his hands in his pockets.

He looked so vulnerable, like she'd touched upon something about him she shouldn't have and she suddenly wished he were bubbly again.

"_**Earth death in twenty minutes. Earth death in twenty minutes."**_

She hopped off her perch to come and stand by him, wanting to let him know that she'd let it go, wanting him to be alright again.

"Alright. As my mate Shireen says, don't argue with the designated driver." He snorted quietly and she smiled.

Her hand strayed to her pocket, momentarily touching her cell phone and she pulled it out, staring at it pensively. "Can't exactly call for a taxi."

She turned it on and held it up in vain. "There's no signal. We're out of range, just a bit."

"Tell you what," he said suddenly, reaching over and plucking her phone from her grasp, "with a little bit of jiggery pocury...."

"Is that a technical term: jiggery pocury?" she teased.

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pocury. What about you?"

"Nah, failed hullabaloo."

"Ahh," he said seriously but his eyes were light and there was a smile curving his lips. He stuck something into the back of her phone and then, snapping it shut, held it out to her. "There you go."

Rose pressed her first contact and held the phone to her ear, amazed when she heard it ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Mum?"

"_Oh, what is it? What's wrong? What have I done now? Oh, this red top's falling to bits. You should get your money back."_

Rose smiled happily as she listened to her mother chatter, her mum's voice soothing an ache in her she hadn't realized she'd had.

"_Go on. It must be something. You never phone in the middle of the day."_ Rose couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her. _"What's so funny?"_

"Nuthin'. You're alright though?"

"_Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"_

"What day is it?"

"_Wednesday. All day. You got a hangover? Oh tell you what, put a quid in that lottery I'll pay you back later."_

"Yeah, I was just calling 'cause I might be late home."

"_Is there something wrong?"_

Yeah mum, I'm with an alien five billion years away, about to watch the Earth get roasted. "No, I'm fine. Top of the world," she said, grinning mischievously.

Her mum hung up and she stared out the window once more, her phone held loosely in her hand.

"Think that's amazing you should see the bill," the Doctor said.

"That was five billion years ago."

He nodded.

"So she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

"Bundle of laughs you are."

The station shook suddenly, making them both sway.

"That's not suppose to happen." But he said it like it was a good thing.

Here we go again, Rose thought tiredly. But she found she didn't really mind that there was trouble coming.

* * *

"That wasn't a gravity pocket," the Doctor said as he pressed his fingers to the screen of the controls by the door, the guests around them chatting away, "I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that."

"What do you think, Jade?" he asked of the tree woman who had just approached them, " the engine shave just pitched up about thirty hertz. That dodgy or what?"

She shook her head, nonplussed. " It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Where's the engine room?"

"I don't know. But the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite. I could show you and your wife." Jade glanced at Rose as she talked, the disdain clear in her eyes.

Okay, so maybe she had taken into consideration that Rose was his girlfriend or wife. So she'd just been being rude all along anyway. Rose glared at her.

"She's not my wife," he said quickly and she had to stop herself from glaring at the Doctor too. She wasn't his wife but a little respect would be nice.

"Partner?"

"Nope."

"Concubine?"

Was this woman serious?!

"Nope."

"Prostitute?" she questioned, her tone full of contempt as she looked Rose over. Hurt poured through Rose and she opened her mouth when she was cut off by the Doctor.

"She's my plus one actually. My guest." His gaze was firm and some of the air seemed to go out of Jade, who blinked and smiled sheepishly. "My apologies. I seem to have gotten carried away."

Uh huh, I just bet you did, Rose thought, but she gave the Doctor a small smile before addressing Jade.

"Whatever I am, I must be invisible. Do you mind?"

Jade said nothing but she could swear she'd seen the Doctor grin.

"Tell you what, you two go and pollinate. I'm gonna catch up with the family. Quick word with Micheal Jackson," she said, pointing to Cassandra by the back of the room.

"Don't start a fight," he called after her and she turned to see him linked arm and arm with Miss Tree.

Alright, if he was going to play like he was an overprotective parent then so was she. "And I want you home by midnight," she called, feeling triumphant when he smirked.

* * *

"What happened to everyone else? The human race, where did it go?"

It turned out that Cassandra loved to talk. More specifically, she loved to talk about herself and it was only after a few tries that Rose finally got her talking about the Earth below them instead of her many surgeries.

"They say mankind has touched every star in the sky."

"So you're not the last human?"

"I am the last pure human," Cassandra stated, her voice full of pride. " The others _mingled_. Oh, they call themselves humans and proto-humans and digi-humans, even humanish. But you know what I call them? Mongrels."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing but she didn't think it would be very diplomatic to laugh in Cassandra's face. If you could still call it a face.

"Right, and you stayed behind."

"I kept myself pure."

"How many operations have you had?"

"Seven hundred and eight, next week it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached. Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out," she told Rose, gazing at her face critically.

"I'd rather die," Rose said flatly.

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt," Cassandra laughed, rolling her eyes as though she'd had this conversation before.

"I mean it, I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline."

"Oh well," she sighed, "what do you know?"

"I was born on that planet! And so was my mum and so was my dad and that makes me, officially, the last human being in this room. 'Cause you're not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened until there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin Cassandra. Lipstick and skin," Rose said heatedly, "Nice talking."

She turned and walked to the door, intent on going back to the room they'd landed in and just waiting for the Doc--

_All that was. All that is. All there ever could be._

She stopped, dazed, the thoughts that had just echoed in her mind already forgotten, leaving nothing in their path but a small headache.

Her head turned, her gaze locking with that of a giant head in a large tank of water, his large brown and amber eyes peering at her intently. She shivered as she stared at him but she had a feeling she knew him and the other head next to him....

Feeling light-headed she made for the door and walked down the hallway once more.

After a few corners she encountered a group of aliens clothed in black and tried grudgingly to muster a smile for them. The one in front lashed out, something silver flashing toward her, before it knocked against her head, pain blooming suddenly as her eyes closed and she hit the ground.

* * *

_**Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending.**_

Rose rubbed her eyes sleepily, raising her head slightly from the step she was laying on. How'd she get here?

A blinding light spiked into the room, moving slowly down with a sizzling sound.

Oh god no.

_**Sun filter descending.**_

She ran for the door, pounding against the metal. "Let me out!"

_**Sun filter descending.**_

"Let me out!" she cried hysterically.

"Is there anyone in there?" she heard. The Doctor!

"Let me out!"

"Oh well, it would be you," she heard him mutter.

"Open the door!" she yelled.

"Hold on! Give us two tics."

_**Sun filter rising.**_

Just as slowly as it had moved down it was rising up, the light growing fainter as it was pulled back. She sighed in relief, slumping against the door.

_**Sun filter descending.**_

She panicked as she saw the light edging back down, the heat in the room growing to unbearable levels.

"Stop mucking about!" Rose screamed.

"I'm not mucking about! It's fighting back!"

"Open the door!"

She scrambled back down the steps, pressing herself against the floor and squeezing her eyes shut.

_**Sun filter rising.**_

She ran to the door, terrified it would come down on her again, but the door was black, tendrils of smoke curling from it and she couldn't touch it.

"The whole things jammed. Stay there, don't move!" he ordered and she felt her frustration rise.

"Where am I gonna go? Ipswich?"

"_**Earth death in five minutes."**_

She waited, eying the glass wearily before sliding down and sitting with her back to the wall. She'd barely caught her breath when the glass cracked, light spilling into the room.

_**Shields malfunction**_.

She pressed herself back, trying to stay low as light hit the far wall with a bang and the glass continued to creak, the Sun's rays pushing against it.

Light was hitting the wall everywhere now and it was only a matter of time before one struck her. She pushed herself form one side to the other, trying desperately to avoid being burned.

So this was it. This was how she was going to die.

Rose breathed deeply and though her eyes were wide open she found that not only was light all around her but it seemed to pour from her as well--

_I can see everything._

--and she could see the Doctor, standing before a large whirring blade, his eyes closed, his face an inch from the deadly fan. And it was as though time slowed down--

_I want you safe. My Doctor._

--and he stepped past the blades, his eyes shooting open when he'd realized he made it to the other side safely--

Time picked back up and her head was killing her and she knew she was going to die and she wondered what the Doctor was doing and where he had gone. She closed her eyes.

_**Exoglass repaired. Exoglass repaired.**_

And opened them to find the shield fixing itself, the light from the room gone. Rose breathed out shakily.

She was alive. And the Earth was gone.

* * *

She stared down at what had been the Earth and watched the rocks floating by and the fire spreading.

"_Everything has it's time and everything dies,"_ the Doctor had said, his eyes hard and unforgiving, his voice cold.

Maybe it had been the Earth's time to go. But it felt wrong, just like it did when Cassadra was begging to be moisturized, her eyes rolling wildly when she found no one would help her.

The Doctor had been cold and almost cruel and she realized that it was a part of who he was at the moment. He didn't forgive and forget, not him. She wondered what had happened to him to give him such lonely eyes.

She heard someone approaching and turned to see the Doctor walking towards her to stand by her side.

"The end of the Earth," she said shakily, willing herself not to cry, "It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves, no one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just..."

She choked, not knowing what to say, watching the rocks that had been her home drift by.

"Come with me," he said softly, holding his hand out to her and she took it.

And though she felt miserable, with the reassuring warmth of his hand surrounding hers she found she felt just a bit better as they walked away to leave the Earth burning behind them.

* * *

Rose blinked as she stepped from the Tardis into the bustling street. Walking forward, she gazed around confusedly. It all seemed so surreal to be standing there, watching people laughing and hearing children cry when five minutes ago it had all been gone forever.

Men in business suits walked by, a mother held her crying infant, a young man was selling newspapers and another man wearing a suit and a long brown coat met her eye through the crowd, walking to her, his brown eyes intent and warm. A woman stepped in front of him and he was gone, swallowed by the crowd.

"You think it'll last forever," the Doctor said by her side, " people and cars and concrete. But it won't and one day it's all gone. Even the sky."

She looked up to the clouds as he fell quiet, his voice incredibly melancholy when he spoke again, " My planet's gone. Dead. It burned like the Earth." He gazed down at her and she knew now why he had such lonely eyes. He'd watched his planet die too. But no one had been there for him, not like he had for her.

"It's just rocks and dust. Before it's time."

"What happened?"

"There was a war. And we lost."

"A war with who?"

He didn't answer her so she cleared her throat, "What about your people?"

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own 'cause there's no one else."

"There's me," she told him quietly.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you wanna go home?" he asked her gruffly.

She thought of her mum waiting back home and the Earth reduced to rocks. "I dunno. I want...."

She stopped when a delicious scent caught her attention. She was starving.

"Oh, can you smell chips?" she asked him hurriedly, her stomach rumbling it's approval.

"Yeah," he chuckled, smiling at her.

"I want chips."

"Me too."

"Right then," she said seriously, " before you get me back in that box, chips it is and you can pay."

"I don't have any mo--" he started to say before he reached his hand into his pocket, gazing down at the crumpled bills in his hand, a sour smile on his face. "Okay," he agreed.

"Just like a proper gentleman, you are," she teased, smiling widely at him, "Come on then, we've only got five billion years 'till the shops close."

She held his hand as they walked through the crowd.

She'd seen the Earth die today.

And, right now, she was remarkably okay with that.

* * *

_Oh My God that took me sooo long! It is now 3:42 in the morning and I've just finished and I want to sleeeep._

_Okay, um, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Please? _

_And I hope all the differences were easy to spot. Cookies to anyone who saw the biggest difference. And yes that man who met her eye through the crowd is the tenth doctor we all love ;) He demanded to be put in really XD_

_Song I was listening to: How Far We've Come by Matchbox Twenty_


	23. I'm Giving Up Everything For You

_Hey, sorry I've been gone so long :)_

_Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving or a good Thursday, depending on where you live._

_On to some news. I've got a title for the sequel to this story and already have a tentative first chapter going but it probably won't see the light of day for some time and certainly not until I've finished Heartbeat. Yup, that's pretty much it for news._

_**This chapter will be switching perspective from Rose to the Doctor. I apologize if this chapter sucks.**_

_Lots of love to:_

_ClumsyGoddess: Well I hope that continue to read and enjoy and thanks for giving my story a try._

_Larkaidikalikani: and I like your reviews. Guess we're even XD_

_The Alternative Source: I don't know what I'm doing either. But at least it's pretty entertaining._

_Xyuffiex: Thanks for all the reviews! It's great that you're enjoying the story._

_Elebother:Thank you for the kind review. I was starting to get worried that this story was too long._

_Ahrocks08: Yay, another April fool's baby! Lol Glad that you like the story._

_Nyah86: Your review had me beaming. I'm glad that you continue to enjoy this story. I absolutely loved your review._

_Cinder-Bella-4eva: Updated :D_

_Katrina: Don't worry someone already asked me that way back at the beginning and I promised them one. So yes :)_

_GreenEyedBabe: Yup, that will be interesting won't it? _

_Watin77: I'm glad you caught up with the story too._

_Dreamcatcher49:Thnx for reviewing._

_Oddood: Yeah, I couldn't help but add the 10th Doc. I love him so :)_

_Cynth19: I tried to keep it close to the script. I'm glad you liked it :)_

_If you haven't seen Waters of Mars yet it was soooo good. I swear me and RTD are thinking the same things lol _

* * *

_**Something's telling me to leave**_

_**But I won't**_

_**'Cuz I'm damned if I do ya**_

_**Damned if I don't**_

**

* * *

**

The grinding sound of the Tardis echoed through the empty room as they landed. The door immediately swung open and the Doctor stepped out, closely followed by Rose.

"So what is it, what's wrong?" Rose questioned, taking in her surroundings. Large glass cases were evenly spaced throughout the room, displaying their wares.

"I dunno," he answered, gazing around like her, " some kind of signal drawing the Tardis off course."

Well, that explained their impromptu trip. One minute she'd been talking with him, sitting on the jump seat and the next he'd bolted around the console, firing up the Tardis and taking them God knows where. Speaking of which....

"Where are we?"

"Earth, Utah, North America. About half a mile underground," he said shortly, walking forward to peer at one of the cases.

"And when are we?"

"2012," he said distantly, eyes studying something that looked like a huge brown worm, it's mouth gaping open to display several sets of serrated teeth.

"God, that's so close," she said, amazed. "I should be twenty-six."

Lights flickered on with a buzzing sound, illuminating the darkened room and showing how vast the collection was, stretching across different corridors.

"Blimey," Rose breathed, "it's a great big museum."

"An alien museum," the Doctor responded. " Somebody's got a hobby."

His voice sounded more subdued than normal, less cheerful and more matter of fact, but she knew better than to ask if he was okay. He'd just brush her off.

"They must 'ave spent a fortune on this," he continued, oblivious to her musings.

"Chunks of meteorite, moon dust, that's the kilometer from the Roswell's spaceship," he pointed out, his tone slowly gaining the kind of enthusiasm she was used to.

She walked with him slowly down the hallway and flinched when something large and green entered her line of vision, remembered being chased down hallways with Harriet Jones. "That's a bit of Slitheen! That's a Slitheen's arm, it's been stuffed."

She peered through the glass, half expecting the three fingered hand to move or come after her when she heard the Doctor breathe an amazed "Ah" behind her, capturing her attention.

"Look at you," he said, coming to stand before a sliver robotic looking head.

"What is it?" she inquired, sidling up next to him.

"An old friend of mine. Well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old."

"Is that where the signal's coming from?" she questioned, hoping to get him back on task and distract him because she could hear the loneliness edging into his voice.

"Nah, it's stone dead. This signal's alive. Something reaching out, calling for help." He definitively sounded wistful now, his voice taking on a faraway quality, the reflection of his eyes in the glass distant and cold. She reached out to take his hand the same moment that his arm came up to press two fingertips to the glass, and a shrill alarm pierced the air, startling her.

Rose didn't panic but she did step closer to the Doctor as armed guards marched in and took up position around them, hoisting their guns and pointing them at her and the Doctor with barely a blink of the eye.

This couldn't be good. "If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you exhibit A," she pointed out, worried.

She wasn't surprised when he glanced around them and smiled.

* * *

Rose didn't speak as they were marched down different hallways, guns pointed into the small of their backs. She felt like if she gave the tiniest movement they'd shoot her down and she barely breathed as they walked, afraid she was about to be killed at any second and would be seeing her own blood splattered on the yellow walls and concrete floor.

The Doctor, for once, wasn't cheerfully chattering away next to her with random facts and dates but was silent, matching her fast pace and keeping ahead of her slightly, his face blank of emotion.

Finally, they came to a door and were shuffled inside. The room looked like an office; stuffy and business like, with a plush carpeted floor and a large painted mural behind a glass desk where a man sat. He looked to be in his late forties, his hairline receding but still a reddish brown and he had a mustache. His suit looked expensive and his expression was intrigued yet bored as he leaned forward to study something a young dark haired man presented to him.

"What does it do?" she heard the man ask and noted the lack of an accent. But, then again, they were in Utah.

"Well, you see the tubes on the side," the young man pointed out hesitantly, " must be to channel something. I think maybe fuel."

"I really wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor interrupted.

"Shut it," the red haired woman beside him snarled.

"Really though that's wrong," he said, nodding at the device.

"Is it dangerous?" the dark haired man asked.

"No," the Doctor grinned, "it just looks silly."

He stepped up to the desk and reached out to grab the object. Rose heard the clicks of the guns behind them and felt panic lance through her and a strange warmth explode in her body.

_They will not hurt him_, a small voice whispered in her mind.

The man held his hand up and the guns were lowered, the guards standing back. He then stood up and extended the object to the Doctor who took it gently and stroked his fingertips across the top, passing over the small blue lights in the device.

"You just need to be delicate," he muttered as a beautiful ringing sound met her ears and she sighed in delight as the warmth within her hummed, something inside her connecting with the strange tune.

The Doctor beamed as he looked around the room and the man lent forward with wonder etched on his face.

"It's a musical instrument," he said, obviously surprised.

"And it's a long way from home," the Doctor replied, continuing to stroke the metal surface.

"Here, let me," the man said brusquely and snatched it from the Doctor's grip.

"I did say delicate," the Doctor said dryly as the man put his fingers to the instrument. "Reacts to the smallest fingerprint. Needs precision."

There was silence for a moment and then the tune was back, choppier than when the Doctor had played, but beautiful nonetheless and Rose allowed her eyes to slip closed as she lost herself in it.

"Very good," the Doctor commented and she could hear the smile in his voice, "Quite the expert."

"As are you," the man said.

The music stopped suddenly and Rose opened her eyes to find that the man had thrown the instrument to the corner of the room. Though she didn't know why, sadness filled her.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," he declared, " and you?"

"Like you don't know," the man sniffed, glaring down his nose at the Doctor. Rose bristled but held her tongue as they stared at each other. Wouldn't do to be shot now, she thought wryly. But she wouldn't mind giving this guy a good kick in the arse before she left.

"We're hidden away, with the most valuable collection of extraterrestrial artifacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake."

"Pretty much sums me up, yeah," the Doctor stated cheerfully.

"Question is," the man said, ignoring the Doctor's comment, "how did you get in?"

He walked around his desk to stand before them and Rose noticed he was as tall as the Doctor.

"Fifty three floors down. With your little cat burglar accomplice." He stared at her, his eyes taking in her face and more, and she repressed a shudder of revulsion.

"Quite a collector yourself; she's rather pretty."

"She's going to smack you," Rose grumbled aloud, glaring at him, " if you keep calling her 'she'."

"She's English too!" he announced, apparently delighted at this discovery. He glanced at the young man. "Hey, got you a girlfriend."

"This is mister Henry Van Stattin," the dark haired man informed them.

"And who's he when he's at home?" Rose asked, unimpressed, though by the look on everyone's faces he was clearly someone important.

"Mr. Van Stattin owns the Internet," he explained.

Yeah, pull the other one, she thought. "Don't be stupid. No one owns the Internet."

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids?" Van Stattin said, looking smug.

"So you're an expert in just about everything except the things in your museum," the Doctor said carelessly, his blue eyes frigid as he regarded the businessman. "Anything you don't understand you lock up."

"And you claim greater knowledge?"

"I don't need to make claims. I know how good I am," the Doctor said lightly.

"And yet I captured you," Van Stattin said just as casually, though there was an edge to his voice. It was obvious not a lot of people had ever stood up to this man. "Right next to The Cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me."

"The Cage contains my one living specimen."

"And what's that?"

"Like you don't know."

"Show me," the Doctor told him, like it was a challenge.

"You wanna see it?" There was an obvious tension in their words as they squared off and Rose was already sick of their attempts at bravado.

They were like two little boys fighting over which of their toys were better. Oh, you've got a blue car? Well, I've got a red one and it's shinier than yours.

She snorted as she pictured children versions of the men in front of her, each clutching their little cars.

"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone," she huffed.

"Goddard," Van Stattin called and the redhead straightened. "Inform The Cage. We're heading down."

Goddard inclined her head.

"You," Van Stattin ordered, staring at the young man, "you're English. Look after the girl. Go and canoodle her spoon or whatever it is you British do.'

Rose felt the Doctor tense beside her and thought for a moment he might argue but he turned and trudged after Van Stattin and out the door with barely a glance in her direction.

The guards filed out of the room after them, leaving Rose and the young man together.

"So," Rose said, " hello."

* * *

The door was pushed shut, leaving him in darkness and he stared, disgusted, at the various instruments he saw on the tray by the door.

No wonder whatever it was had cried for help. They were torturing it.

"Look, I'm sorry about this," he began, his voice echoing, his eyes trying to peer through the gloom where a single blue light stood, "Mr. Van Stattin might think he's clever but never mind him. I've come to help. I'm the Doctor."

"_Doc...tor?..."_the creature gasped, it's voice rough like gravel, two white lights flashing over it's head as it spoke, briefly illuminating a monster from his past.

"Impossible," he breathed, terror and curiosity surging inside him in equal measures.

"_The... Doctor?...."_ it rasped and there was no mistaking that voice or the fear that accompanied it.

He stood, paralyzed, as the lights came on in the room, showing him the creature from his nightmares.

"_Exterminate!"_ it cried, _"Exterminate!"_

In the next instant the Doctor was at the heavy vault door, pounding for all he was worth on it, his sonic screwdriver forgotten, terror stark in his mind. "Let me out!" he yelled while the Dalek continued it's chant for death. He hammered uselessly against it, his hands slipping on the cold metal as he tried to find a handle.

"_You are an enemy of the Daleks! You must be destroyed!"_

He pressed himself against the door, his eyes locking onto the metal extension that would kill him.

But nothing happened. The little 'arm' twitched and for the first time the Doctor took in it's full appearance, noticing all the cracks, bumps, and scratches the Dalek had, seeing that it was chained in place.

"Huh," he laughed, relieved, "It's not working."

He could feel a grin spreading across his face, and he laughed loudly, insanely happy. Distantly he thought he must look mad to anyone who was watching him. Not that he cared.

"Fantastic!" he shouted through his laughter, pushing away from the door to stand before the Dalek.

"Fantastic," he repeated darkly, dropping the smile.

"Powerless! Look at you! The Great Space Dustbin," he said coldly. Flashes of the Time War went through his head and he pushed them away angrily. It was this _thing's_ fault his people were gone. And oh, how it would pay for that. The Doctor would make sure of it.

"How does it feel?" he shouted.

"_Keep... back...,"_ the Dalek intoned, rolling itself back, chains rattling, as the Doctor rushed forward, staring challengingly into it's blue light.

"What for?" he yelled, "What you gonna do to me?!"

He walked around the monster slowly, laughter bubbling inside him. He was coming apart at the seams ,he knew, and he couldn't care less. There weren't suppose to have been any survivors. He would remedy that soon.

"If you can't kill," he spat, "then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you?! You're nothing!"

The Doctor took a deep breath, trying to rein in the anger he could feel pulsing in him, the unbridled rage. If he kept up this way he'd end up killing this thing too soon and he didn't want that. No, it had to suffer first. And he would see to that personally.

"What the hell are you here for?" he asked, congratulating himself on how composed his voice sounded.

"_I...am...waiting...for orders...."_

"What does that mean?" Surely this thing knew the Dalek race was no more?

"_I... am... a soldier...I...was...bred...to receive...orders." _Well, apparently it didn't. He'd take great joy in giving him the 'sad' news.

'Well, you're never gonna get any. Not ever."

"_I demand orders!"_

"They're never gonna come!" he screamed, hurling the words at the Dalek, hoping that they would somehow cause it pain. Pain enough to kill it. The same pain he had. "They're dead! You all burned! All of you! Ten million ships on fire, the entire Dalek race wiped out in one second."

"_You lie!"_

"I watched it happen. I made it happen!"

"_You destroyed us?"_

He turned away, feeling every bit his nine hundred years, seeing the Time War again in his mind. His planet burning so brightly.... everything gone in a matter of moments.....

"I had no choice," he said quietly, thinking of everyone he'd ever known on home: Romana, the Master, the council....

"_And...what...of the...Time Lords?"_

"Dead," he told it, feeling empty, hollow. "They burned with you. The end of the last great Time War. Everyone lost."

"_And...the coward survived."_

Rage flooded through him.

"Oh, and I caught your little signal," he sang, "'Help me'. Poor little thing. But there's no one else coming 'cause there's no one else left."

"_I am alone in the universe?" _it asked, sounding strange. If he didn't know any better he'd think it was sad. Well, good if it was.

"Yup," the Doctor smiled.

"_So are you. We are the same."_

"We're not the same!" he snarled, "I'm not-- no wait."

He cut himself off, smiling softly once more. " Maybe we are. Yeah okay. You've got a point. 'Cuz I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve. Exterminate."

He walked over to the table at the corner of the room and pulled a lever down, watching with bitter satisfaction as light filled the room and the Dalek began to scream.

"_Have pity!" _it screeched, begging him to stop. To stop the pain. But he wouldn't. Because no one would ever stop it for him.

"Why should I?" he thundered, "You never did!"

He pulled another lever as the Dalek continued to scream, blue lightening flashing across it's metal body.

Men were pouring in through the door to reach out and stop him and he dove for the lever. One more pull and.... they grabbed him, hauling him away from the controls and out the door but as he listened to the Dalek scream he smiled, though he still felt empty.

* * *

Rose rushed down the corridor, Adam at her side, desperate to find the Doctor. He would know what to do and how to help the, well, whatever it was.

A short spike of pain lanced through her head and she stopped, feeling dizzy. Adam rushed on before glancing back and, realizing she was standing stock still, stopped as well.

God, but her head was killing her, the pain so intense she thought she might vomit at any moment. Adam's face loomed across her vision, fuzzy and distorted. His lips were moving, mouthing words she could no longer hear.

She had a moment to see the hallway tilt and her legs collapse from under her and then the world was ripped away.

* * *

"Now smile," Van Stattin said pleasantly before the machine was switched on and a beam of red light swept down his chest, dragging a fiery pain across his skin and leaving his hearts burning. He gasped and tugged at his restraints and then the pain was gone. He tried to focus on what Stattin was saying.

"...Binary vascular system! Oh, I am so patenting this."

"So, that's your secret," the Doctor said, trying to inject some strength in his voice as he fought against the lingering pain, "You don't just collect this stuff, you scavenge it."

"This technology has been falling to Earth for centuries. All it took was the right mind to use it properly. Oh the advances I've made from alien junk. You have no idea, Doctor. Broadband? Roswell. Just last year my scientists cultivated bacteria from the Russian crater and do you know what we found? The cure for the common cold."

This man was drunk off of his own power. Too few people had ever told him no and the Doctor wondered if he even had a heart anymore. He didn't have to wonder for long as Stattin continued to speak.

"Kept it strictly within the laboratory, of course. No need to get people excited. Why sell one cure when I can sell a thousand palliatives?"

"You know what a Dalek is, Van Stattin?" the Doctor said evenly, "A Dalek is honest. It does what it was born to do for the survival of it's species. That creature in your dungeon is better than you."

"In that case I will be true to myself and continue."

"Listen to me! That creature downstairs is going to kill every last one of us!"

"Nothing can escape The Cage," Van Stattin smirked, so sure that his little empire would stand forever while the Doctor knew better. Within half an hour everyone would be dead if he didn't get out of this.

He flicked the machine back on and the Doctor felt like his skin was on fire as his teeth locked around a scream, his eyes screwed shut.

And then, as suddenly as someone turning off the lights, it was gone. He could still hear the whir of the beam and distantly feel it sliding over him. He kept his body tense, sure more pain must be coming.

_No_, a voice chimed in his head, crystalline and pure, _No more pain._

What? His eyes shot open in surprise but nothing was different. Van Stattin was still there and the laser was still on yet he could feel nothing except a strange warmth encasing his body and in his hearts.

Someone was in his head and was shielding him from the pain but why?

_Because I want you safe._

Well, that was comforting, he supposed.

_They will not harm you. I won't allow it._

Through the golden haze over his vision he saw Van Stattin's face crinkle into confusion and anger as he alternated between pressing buttons on the machine and glaring at the Doctor.

He grinned because he could. Because he knew it would piss Van Stattin off. Because it was high time someone knocked this man off his high horse and what better person than the Doctor to do it.

And, as Van Stattin glared at him, because he was feeling particularly evil, he starting humming 'The Song that Never Ends.'

* * *

"Rose?"

Rose blinked groggily and the arms encasing her loosened their hold. Adam's face came into view, looking relived.

"You okay?"

"What 'appened?" she asked, feeling exhausted.

"You just passed out."

He dropped his hold on her and she climbed to her feet, her body shaking and her head pounding.

"I'm okay, really. Don't know what came over me."

They continued their frantic pace down the corridor and rushed into the stairwell. As they were descending she noticed that Adam kept giving her funny looks.

With one floor to go, she rounded on him, tired beyond belief. "What? What is it?"

He fixed his eyes ahead as they walked, their footsteps echoing around them. "Nothing," he said hesitantly and Rose suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "It's just that you're glowing."

She tripped down one stair and his hand shot out and steadied her, gripping her upper arm.

"Glowing?" she checked, dizzy.

"Well, not when I look at you. It's just that when I see you out of the corner of my eye you've got this... sort of golden hue about you. It's strange but then he did say you might act strange for a while."

"He?"

"Yeah, while you were passed out this man came rushing down the corridor. Didn't say much, just checked you over and said you'd be fine but a little funny."

She grunted to show she was listening. She was trembling so bad it didn't surprise her when she slipped again, this time sliding down several steps. Luckily, Adam had been ready and he supported her as she fell, keeping her head from knocking against the steps. She leaned back dazedly where she lay,staring up the stairwell.

A man was staring down at her from several flights up and her headache flared up as she met his gaze. He had such lovely brown eyes....

She put her hand to her eyes, willing the headache away and when she opened them he was gone.

"Hey, that was him!" Adam said, staring up like she had been.

"I feel like I've been run over," Rose moaned, "Oh, well, come on. We've got to get down there."

He helped her up.

* * *

"Condition Red. Condition Red. I repeat, this is not a drill."

The Doctor lifted his head, weary from keeping the mental connection between him and his protector open. "Release me if you want to live."

* * *

Rose ran as fast as she could, willing her legs to pump harder, knowing the Dalek was right behind them. She stomped up the stairs, managing to maneuver her phone from her pocket, Adam two steps ahead of her.

"This isn't the best time," she said as she answered it.

"_Where are you?_" The Doctor's voice soothed her jangled nerves and she jumped the next step, not daring to look back.

"Level 49," she told him, glancing at the painted wall as they sped past.

"_You've got to keep moving. The vault's being sealed off at Level 46."_

"Can't you stop them closing?"

"_I'm the one who's closing them. I can't wait and I can't help you. Now, for God's sake, run."_

She pounded up the stairs and burst through the door a second after Adam, her phone clutched to her ear as they bolted down the hallway.

"We're nearly there!Give us two seconds!" she cried into the phone, her lungs burning as she tried to keep up.

They rounded the corner and she could see the door; they were so close. But it was slowly closing and she bit her lip. Adam raced down the hallway and slid under the gap.

She watched, sick with dread, her legs still pumping, as it slid all the way closed, sealing her off from the outside world, from Adam, and from the Doctor.

"_Rose, where are you?" _the Doctor said, frantic, in her ear. _"Rose, did you make it?_"

She reached out and touched the wall before letting her hand slide away, trying to keep her breathing in check so she wouldn't cry. She didn't want the Doctor to feel any worse for having locked her down here. After all, if she had been faster, she'd be on the other side.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "I was a bit slow."

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the Dalek rolling down the hallway. She turned back to the wall and said silent goodbyes to Mickey and her mum. "See you then, Doctor. It wasn't your fault, okay? Remember that, it wasn't your fault. 'Cuz you know what? I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

She can hear the whir behind her and knows it's caught up with her. She turned to face her death and saw it raise it's head to stare at her.

"_Exterminate!"_

The warmth of the blast singed her hand and struck her phone with deadly accuracy. She braced herself for the final blow and screwed her eyes shut, picturing the Doctor running with her, holding her hand.

But nothing happened. She opened her eyes slowly and chanced looking at it.

"Go on then, kill me," she said.

"_You are unarmed. I will kill. It is my purpose."_

"They're all dead because of you," she shouted, angry that it was toying with her, prolonging her death.

"_They are dead because of us!"_ it cried and Rose felt guilt swamp her. It was right, it was her fault too. Her fault all those people were dead.

"And now what?" she asked, "What are you waiting for?"

"_I... feel your fear."_

"What do you expect?!"

"_Dalek's do not fear! Must not fear!" _It aimed and fired, striking the wall next to her and then again.

"_You gave me life! What else have you given me?! I am contaminated!"_

She didn't answer, eying it warily, but it didn't seem to need one and after a moment, it turned and activated one of the cameras.

She could see the Doctor and Adam's surprised faces on the screen and smiled despite the threat of death still close by.

"_Open the bulkhead or Rose Tyler dies."_

"_You're alive,"_ the Doctor breathed, his eyes dancing with relief and happiness.

"Can't get rid of me."

"_I thought you were dead,"_ he said, his voice thick with anguish and she wished she could reach out and take his hand.

"_Open the bulkhead!"_

"Don't do it!" she yelled. She couldn't let this thing find the Doctor. It would kill him.

"_What use are emotions, if you will not save the woman you love?"_ it said, and Rose forgot to breathe. Well, she knew the Doctor cared for her and it was possible he loved her but...

He stepped out of frame but she heard his voice, _"I killed her once. I can't do it again."_

The bulkhead opened and Rose Tyler was ushered forward.

* * *

The sunlight streamed through the hole in the ceiling, dust swirling through it's beam.

"You did it," Rose smiled, "You made it."

She tilted her head to the ray. "Never thought I'd feel the sunlight again," she confessed.

"_How does it feel?"_

With several mechanic whirs the dome of it's body creaked open and slid to the sides, revealing what looked like a small squid tangled into the wiring.

It's one orange eye blinked slowly as it extended a tentacle into the air, reaching for the sunlight.

"Get out the way!"

She whirled around to find the Doctor standing down the hallway with a large gun in his hands. Pointed at her. "Rose, get out the way, now!" he yelled.

"No," she said simply, "'Cuz I won't let you do this."

"Rose that thing killed hundreds of people," he snarled, his eyes twin chips of ice as he glared st her.

"It's not the one pointing a gun at me."

"I've got to do this!" he said desperately and Rose wondered if he'd even heard her, "I've got to end this! The Daleks destroyed my home, my people! I've got nothing left!"

"But look at it," she said softly, standing to the side just a bit so he could see it.

His eyes widened. "What's it doin'?"

"It's the sunlight. That's all it wants."

"It can't—"

"It couldn't kill Van Stattin; it couldn't kill me, it's changing," she told him, trying to make him understand what she could see, "What about you Doctor? What the 'ell are you changing into?"

He lowered the gun and blinked, seeming to see her for the first time.

"I couldn't--" he started, " I wasn't--"

His eyes darted between them, his voice cracking.

"Oh, Rose," he mumured softly, staring at her, "They're all dead."

"_Why do we survive?" _the Dalek asked, it's voice breaking pitifully.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered.

"_I am the last of the Dalek's," _it stated.

"You're not even that," the Doctor told it, " Rose did more than regenerate you. You've absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

So the Dalek was becoming her a little bit? That was a good thing, surely. So why did the Doctor look so defeated?

"_Into what?"_

"Something new. I'm sorry."

"Isn't that better?" Rose interrupted, confused.

"Not for a Dalek," he said shortly, eyes fixed on the creature.

"_I... can feel... so many ideas. So much darkness. Rose, give me orders. Order me to die."_

It closed it's eye slowly and Rose wished she could comfort it somehow. "I can't do that."

"_This is not life! This is sickness. I shall not be like you. Order my destruction! Obey!"_

"Do it," she managed to say, her throat tight, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

"_Are you frightened, Rose Tyler?"_

"Yeah."

"_So am I. Exterminate."_

She ran to the Doctor's side and watched as it imploded in on itself.

* * *

"Maybe some of your people survived too," she told him, hoping for a smile.

He gave a small one, "I'd know. In here," he tapped the side of his head. " Feels like there's no one."

"Well then, good thing I'm not goin' anywhere."

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding.

"We'd better get out," Adam said from behind her, "Van Stattin's gone missing and Goddard says they're gonna fill this place full of cement."

"'Bout time," Rose enthused, glad.

"I'll have to go back home," he told them both.

"Better hurry up then," The Doctor said seriously. " Next flight to Heathrow leaves in fifteen hundred hours." He crossed his arms defensively.

"Adam was saying that all his life he wanted to see the stars," she said hesitantly, smiling teasingly.

"Time to go and stand outside then," he said, sounding petulant, like a child. She pictured a child version of the Doctor again. But Mum, I don't want to play with him, he's stupid.

"He's all on his own, Doctor," she said, exasperated with him, "and he did help."

"He left you down there!"

"So did you!"

"What are you talking about?" Adam interjected, "We've got to leave!"

"Rose, he's a bit pretty," the Doctor complained.

"Hadn't noticed."

"On your own head," the Doctor said gravely, turning around and unlocking the door to the Tardis.

Rose smiled as she stepped inside, ignoring Adam's ramblings about the cement.

He stepped inside a moment later, his mouth immediately falling open in shock.

"It's bigger on the inside?!" he managed to squeak.

Rose laughed.

* * *

_God that took forever. Please review :) The tenth won't be appearing in every shappie but I couldn't resit throwing him in again. Rose protectd the Doctor though she dosen't know it and Adam gets to see the stars for a while. Yay._

_Song I was listening to: Damned if I Do Ya (Damned if I don't) by All Time Low._


	24. Don't Forget You're One Of A Kind

_So, I'm going to try to churn these chapters out faster. I'd be great to see the end of this story though it's a little far off ^^_

_Gigantic hugs for:_

_clairlune: What a lovely name ^^ Don't worry you aren't late to the party, mostly because there isn't one. Welcome aboard. I know, to be honest I skip over what happens in the episodes as well when I read other stories. I am putting in some behind the scenes details though. Hope you continue to enjoy :)_

_xyuffiex: Aww! ***hugs back*** thank you!_

_Cynth19: I'm so happy you continue to like the story. Let me know if it ever gets boring._

* * *

_**Well if you wanna get free**_

_**And if you wanna do the passionate thing**_

_**And if you wanna get smart for the sake of your heart and all**_

_**You should own your name and stand up tall**_

_**And get real and see the beauty in ugly**_

**

* * *

**

His fingers were digging into her upper arms and she bit her lip in an attempt to hold back a pained cry. She didn't completely succeed when a whimper escaped. Not that he seemed to notice.

His blue eyes were burning as he gazed down at her, his features stony. She was practically crushed against his chest, that's how close they were, and though she'd hoped for something, well not like this but similar, for a long time, despite how it sounded there was nothing romantic in his actions. And he was really starting to hurt her.

And she had no idea how they'd come to this point.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She had something of an idea but she still didn't know why he was acting this way.

He had been reclining on the jump seat , the faraway expression on his face letting her know that his mind was probably miles away. She had been leaning on the console, facing him when he seemed to come out of it. He'd mentioned Adam, a subject that he'd been bringing up with increasing regularity, and had insulted her in that careless way he usually did, saying she was a poor judge of character and that she'd only liked Adam because he'd been a 'useless pretty boy'.

And of course she'd snapped back, sick of him dragging it up, that she hadn't know any different, that he'd seemed nice, and that he'd helped her.

The Doctor had smirked, asking what her definition of 'help' was because he was sure Adam had done no such thing.

And then she mentioned blacking out. She told him about falling down the stairs, coming close to injury if it hadn't been for Adam catching her.

And of seeing a man in the stairwell, a stranger who'd checked her over as she'd been out cold, who'd disappeared as soon as she'd tried to take a closer look.

And that was how they'd come to this.

In a flash he was in front of her, grasping her arms and dragging her uncomfortably close, firing questions at her faster than she could think.

"What did he look like? What d'you mean 'checked over'? What'd he say 'bout you? Did he hurt you? What--?"

"Oi!" she shouted, trying to pull away as best she could in an attempt to get him to release her.

"Rose, this is very important," he said slowly and there was that condescending tone he often used with her. She imagined giving him a slap.

"I don't know, okay?" she blurted quickly, "I didn't get a good look at 'im. And no, he didn't hurt me."

His eyes bored into hers and then he released her, so quickly she stumbled, having to grab the console for support, and then he was back in the jump seat, picking up a silver beaded ball and hefting it from one hand to the other, looking as though nothing had happened though she could see a storm in his eyes.

"Where to next?" he said aloud, in such a normal voice that she did a double take at him, his posture deceivingly peaceful and relaxed.

Was he just going to pretend that he hadn't manhandled her?

Rose cleared her throat and cast her gaze down to the console, picking at her pink sleeve nervously. She'd been wondering for a while how to ask him and she decided to just go for it, telling herself it wouldn't matter if they didn't go where she wanted.

So she quickly told him the story she'd rehearsed in her mind, the date and facts, and everything her mother had told her when she'd been old enough to ask but young enough not to understand what had happened to her father.

"That's what mum always says," she finished, trying to meet his eyes, already half expecting the 'no' he would give her. "So I was thinking, could we? Could we go an see my dad when he was still alive?"

"Where's this come from, all of a sudden?"

She didn't want to tell him that it wasn't sudden, that it'd been stewing in her mind since the day he'd asked her to come along. But she wasn't sure how he'd react and she didn't feel like getting roughed up twice in one day.

So instead she turned to the console but she couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice when she spoke again , "All right then if we can't if it's against the laws of time or something then never mind, just leave it."

"No, I can do anything. I'm just more worried about you."

"I wanna see him," she pleaded.

"Your wish is my command," he smiled. "Just be careful what you wish for."

And with that he jumped up and was firing up the Tardis and Rose smiled, nervous and excited beyond belief.

* * *

She stepped out and gazed around, taking in everything.

"It's so weird," she told the Doctor, "The day my father died. Thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy, but it's just an ordinary day."

"The past is another country," the Doctor recited and she wondered what he was quoting. "You sure about this?"

She met his gaze, willing him to understand just how important this was to her. "Yeah."

She walked over to the street her mum had told her about, the street she'd stared down at as a child and pictured her father laying on. She knew without looking that he'd followed her.

"This is it: Georgine Road. He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present. A vase. Mum always said 'that stupid vase'."

Rose had known that this wasn't going to be easy but she found herself choking up. She was going to watch her father die. And there was nothing she could do.

A green car drove around the corner and parked, not far from them, and her eyes locked on the person she could see through the windshield. Her father.

"He got out his car," she continued, " crossed the road. Oh god, this is it."

The Doctor's hand found hers and squeezed.

A white car whipped around the corner and sped up as her father closed the door to his car. Rose looked away, just before impact, not wanting to see her father struck down and she hid her face behind the Doctor's back.

She heard tires screech and the vase shatter. She peered over the Doctor's shoulder and saw him lying there, all alone, his hand twitching as though asking for someone to help him, pieces of vase all around him.

She couldn't take this. Her heart gave an uneven_ thump_ and she bolted, flinging herself into a nearby alley and pressing her back against the bricks, a sob breaking from her lips.

She felt more that saw the Doctor lean next to her and she heard sirens in the distance.

"It's too late now," she whispered, " by the time the ambulance got there he was dead. He can't die on his own."

Rose gazed at the Doctor, her eyes wet, and asked for a second chance. He nodded.

And in that moment, though she was heartbroken for her dad, and more miserable than she'd ever been in her life, she loved him for it.

* * *

"Right," the Doctor said from behind her, " that's the first you and me. It's a very bad idea, two sets of us bein' here at the same time. Just be careful that they don't see us. Wait 'til she runs off and he follows and then go to your dad."

She was only half listening, gazing at herself and the Doctor standing across the street.

The car came around the corner once more and parked. "I can't do this," she breathed, panicking.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to but this is the last time we can be here," he murmured, his voice serious yet gentle in her ear.

Her father grabbed the vase from the passenger seat and reached for the handle of the door and this was it, he was going to die, and when she saw the first Rose hunch her shoulders and lean closer to the Doctor she knew what she was thinking; that there was nothing she could do....

But she could do something. She could stop it.

She ran for the car, ignoring the Doctor's shout behind her and sped up, to make sure he wouldn't catch her, because she had to do this, she had to save him.

Rose caught her dad around the middle and jerked them both to the side just in time, as the car kept going, racing down the street. The vase slipped from his hands as they both tumbled to the ground, rolling away from them.

"I did it," she said, amazed, her eyes drinking in the man laying before her, "I saved your life."

"Blimey, did you see the speed of him? Did you get his number?" he asked as he hoisted himself up, gazing down the street, shock frozen on his face.

"I really did it," she cheered, happiness bursting within her as her dad gazed down at her, speaking to her. Actually talking to her. "Oh my god, look at you! You're alive! That car was gonna kill ya!"

It was only through sheer force of will that she stopped herself from hugging him. Just barely.

"Well, give me some credit," he grumbled, brushing himself off, " I could see it coming. Wasn't going to walk under it, was I?"

"I'm Rose," she smiled, ecstatic.

"That's a coincidence. That's my daughter's name."

She gave a breathy laugh, eyes hungrily searching his expression for recognition but not being the least disappointed when she didn't find any. "That's a great name. Good choice. Well done."

"Right then," he said, " better shift. I've got a wedding to go to."

"Is that Sarah Carter's wedding?" she asked, knowing it was, excitement making her giddy. Her father was here, talking to her. Alive.

"Yeah, you going?"

"Yeah!"

"You and your boyfriend need a lift?"

Boyfriend? She followed his gaze and saw the Doctor standing back by the wall. He didn't look happy. At all.

* * *

"Well, you've got what you've wanted so that's good bye then." He stalked into the hallway and to the door leaving Rose staring after him, anger and shame mixing in her until she wanted to cry.

What was he expecting? An apology? How could she apologize for something like this? For saving someone?

"You don't scare me!" she countered, rushing after him and making sure she got in his way. "I know how sad you are. You'll be back in a minute. Or you'll hang around outside the Tardis waitin' for me."

He cut around her and opened the door, stepping outside.

"And I'll make you wait a long time!" she shouted, slamming it behind him, hardly caring if he decided to take her back home after this.

But the expression in his eyes had killed her. Such disappointment and sadness. She hated herself. But she hated him too. For making her choose between her dad and him.

Her father popped his head out of the bedroom a minute later, no doubt curious about their argument.

"Boyfriend trouble?"

* * *

He should have known better, really. He was older and more experienced by far than Rose was at this and he knew he should've said no, if not the first time, then the second. But she'd looked so fragile and helpless and all he'd wanted was to make her smile, to give her the chance to say goodbye because he wished he could've done the same.

But she'd deliberately ignored him, had run forward and changed everything and in his anger he wondered why she'd bothered to come with him in the first place if she wasn't going to listen to him and do just whatever the hell she wanted.

Which led to him wondering if she hadn't come with him just for this. So she could take advantage of his machine and him to garner something she'd always wanted.

The Doctor had tried to calm down, had tried to reason that that couldn't have been it, that Rose wouldn't do something like that. He remembered being trapped with her, surrounded by dead bodies, the only thing between the hoard and them a metal grate. Of grabbing her hand and telling her how glad he was he'd found her. Her staring into his eyes and giving him one final smile that spoke of no regrets and telling him the same.

Gods but he'd been stupid. He'd been blinded by his lo-- affection, for her and he'd forgotten that she was just another human, capable of being just as selfish as the rest of her lot.

Of course it didn't help that he'd been already furious since before they even exited the Tardis. He could still barely believe that his future regeneration had interacted with Rose, even if she had been passed out and most likely concussed. He was far too reckless.

These thoughts coursed through his mind as he walked and tried to get his anger under control.

He rounded the corner and his Tardis came into view. The wind picked up around him, swirling suddenly cold air.

He ignored it but couldn't stop himself from looking up to the sky when he reached the Tardis doors, sure he'd felt something off...

He inserted the key and twisted, pushing the doors open and felt his jaw drop.

The entire inside, the ship itself, was gone.

Unbelieving, he stepped inside and frantically pressed his hands to the wood. How could it be gone? Unless....

"Rose!"

* * *

Rose leaned against her father's car, her mind hazy. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Her parents loved each other and they never fought. Her mum had never been so strict and unyielding, so at ends with the gentle mother she knew, and her father wasn't the business man she'd always thought.

She climbed into the car and started it up, talking it round the bend and parking it quickly. Stepping out and into the suddenly brisk air, she walked down the sidewalk.

This was awful. Why had mum never told her about this? If her dad stayed alive would they still be married in the future?

The bride was standing before the gates of the church, chatting with who Rose assumed were her bridesmaids and Jackie—she couldn't think of her as her mum, not yet-- came walking over to them from the church, closely followed by her dad. They stopped next to the gates as well, and their voices carried slightly to where Rose stood, uncertain and depressed.

"I've had enough of all your daft schemes. I never know where the next meal's coming from."

"I'll get it right, love. One day soon, I promise ya, I'll get it right."

Rose felt herself smiling when she saw her mother's face soften and her dad lean forward, their postures intimate and comfortable. This was more like how it should be.

A little boy ran into the church shouting about monsters and Rose watched him, sure she knew him from-- "Rose!"

She smiled, relieved, and turned round to see the Doctor running to her, his face the picture of panic.

"Get in the church!" His eyes flicked to the sky above her and hers followed, frozen when she saw a bat like creature materialize out of thin air.

It flared it arms, showing a small gaping mouth, filled with teeth and screeched. She screamed and it lunged.

Rose was knocked to the ground, the Doctor's arms around her, and she picked herself up, the Doctor already up and running as everyone ran for the church, screams and shouts echoing all over the courtyard.

Everybody rushed through the large double doors as the creatures distracted themselves with another man and the priest, their cries cutting through the air as the Doctor heaved the doors closed.

He gazed around for a moment and she knew the expression on his face; he was thinking furiously about what to do. She felt a bit better already, knowing he would have a plan soon.

"Okay, old doors and windows. They can't get in. The older something is the stronger it is," his eyes fixed on the small group of people huddled around them and darkened, "Go and check the other doors! Move!"

He rushed to a small door to the side and Jackie followed, her voice rising with panic, "What's happening? What are they?! What are they?!"

"There's been an accident in time," he said, his voice strained, " A wound in time. They're like bacteria, taking advantage."

"What d'you mean time?" she snapped, obviously irritated. Some thing's never changed, Rose thought. "What are you jabbering on about time?"

"Oh, I might have known you'd argue," he retorted, "Jackie, I'm sick of this--"

"How do you know my name?"

"I haven't got time for this--"

"I've never met you before in my life!"

"No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors!" he ordered, his tone brooking for no arguments, as he pointed to the back of the church.

"Yes, sir," she said meekly before scurrying off.

Another man came forward and Rose turned away, tuning them both out, to stare at her father and the small basket at her feet, where she could see a small bundle fussing and a little pink face poking out from the blankets. She was so tiny.

"The police can't help you now. No one can! Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilize the wound."

Rose jumped at the Doctor's raised voice and turned her head to see him stalking toward her, his eyes flashing with anger.

He stopped in front of her, his voice hushed , "By consuming everything inside."

This wasn't fair. She'd only wanted to see her dad. " Is this because.... is this my fault?"

He didn't answer her but turned away to walk down the aisle.

Rose tried not to cry.

* * *

The Doctor ran through the door at the back of the church and went to the window, gazing out on an empty street, watching the creatures float through the air, their cries loud and hungry.

"There's smoke coming up from the city but no sirens," Peter Tyler said by his side, "I—I don't think it's just us, I think these things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world."

The Doctor gazed through the murky glass, trying to see some form of life, mind spinning with empty ideas when he saw the white car come barreling down the street from nowhere to turn the corner and disappear.

"Was that a car?"

"It's not important, don't worry about it."

He walked away quickly, back through the door only to have something small and hard collide with his legs.

He stumbled, one hand against the wall to steady himself, the other coming down to rest on the top of what had hit him and was still clinging to his leg. His fingers met soft brown hair as he gazed down at what appeared to be a small child who was hugging his leg for all he was worth. The child tilted it's head up and his eyes met a bright blue curious gaze, and a beaming smile from tiny rosy lips.

"Da!" the child cried, and the Doctor realized it was a boy no older than three.

"I'm so sorry," he heard someone say and he jerked his head up to find a young man standing before him, who couldn't have been older than twenty, wearing a faded blue shirt and dark blue jeans, a dark leather jacket that looked suspiciously similar to the Doctor's hugging his thin frame. The relief was obvious on his face when his brown eyes lit upon the child and the Doctor chuckled before attempting to unsuccessfully dislodge the small boy from his leg.

"Yours, I take it?" The Doctor questioned dryly as the child giggled and gripped tighter.

"Oh, god no," the young man laughed, "I'm just the babysitter. Sorry, but he seems to have taking a liking to you. He shouldn't even be out here though."

"Hmm," the Doctor commented as he lifted his leg and the boy came with it, laughing merrily and burrowing his face into the leg of his pants.

"He's got quite a grip."

"Tell me about it," the man sympathized, smiling.

The boy looked up and unwrapped one arm from around his leg to reach up and tug on the bottom of the Doctor's jacket. "Da," he repeated softly, eyes intelligent and aware, studying the Doctor as though he were something new and exciting.

The young man leaned down and pried the boy away, taking him into his arms with ease and settling him on his hip. The boy slung an arm around his neck but kept staring at the Doctor with such intensity that that he had to wonder if he'd seen him before.

His eyes took in the small shirt the boy had, a white one with the picture of a computer mouse in the center, the words 'Geek in training' under it, and the dark blue jeans he wore.

"We'll just be off now. Sorry to bother."

The Doctor blinked, surprised at the flippancy in the young man's tone. The man extended his hand and he shook it, feeling as though he were missing something obvious.

"I'm Luke. You?"

"The Doctor."

Instead of asking the usual question Luke just blinked and laughed, shifting the toddler on his hip into a more comfortable position.

"Bye, then, Doctor," he smiled before turning through a doorway nearby and toward the back exit of the church.

"No, wait!" He sped around the corner, but the door's deadbolt was untouched and they were gone.

* * *

"C'mon, Mick," Jackie said, taking a child Mickey's hand and guiding him out of the room.

Rose managed to grab her father's sleeve just as he turned away.

"You can't tell her."

"Why?"

"I mean, I really don't want you to tell her."

He gazed at her blankly. "What, you don't want people to know?"

"Where I come from, Jackie doesn't know how to work the timer on the video recorder."

He smiled at her. "I showed her that last week."

She nodded and his smile dropped. "Point taken."

* * *

He asked her if he was a good father and she didn't know what to say.

So she told him a story. The stories she made up as a kid, the dreams she lived when she was sleeping, all the things she'd ever pictured.

He doesn't believe her.

* * *

The creature twitched in midair as everyone rushed to stand behind him.

"I'm the oldest thing in here," he said, walking forward, all his thoughts on keeping Rose safe, on buying her a few more minutes.

It swooped down and enveloped him and he felt pain and then nothing.

* * *

"I never read you those bedtime stories, I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."

Her tears seem endless. She's already lost the Doctor, she can't lose her father too. "You would 'ave been."

"But I can do this for ya. I can be a proper dad to you now."

"But it's not fair," she whispered, her throat tight from crying.

"I've had all these extra hours," he said gently, smiling, "No one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that, I get to see you."

His hand cupped her cheek and she wanted to remember this moment forever. "You're beautiful."

* * *

He was back, standing in the middle of the aisle, staring at his Tardis.

"Oh, Rose," he said softly, already knowing what had happened.

He pushed his way through the crowd gathered around the doors until he found her. Her eyes were clenched shut, her breathing shallow, and she jumped when he gently touched her shoulder.

"Go to him," he told her, "Quick."

She ran out of the courtyard and into the street, falling to her knees beside her dying father, taking his hand and lifting his head up. He walked back inside and entered his Tardis, firing her up until, after a second, she landed.

He stepped out and walked up to the white car.

Rose kissed her father's forehead and when she stood up and saw him, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes he was ready for her.

He held out his hand and she took it.

The trip had been a disaster and it had actually gotten him killed. Strangely enough, he didn't really mind as she walked with him back to the Tardis.

* * *

_Wow. Okay there's really not much to work with seeing as it's already been done but I tried my best and I hoped everyone liked. If you have any burning questions message me. _

_Btw the shirt the boy was wearing I saw on the website ThinkGeek._

_Song I was listening to: The Beauty In Ugly by Jason Mraz_


	25. Did You Fall For A Shooting Star?

_Hello again. Trying to keep my quicker update promise :)_

_And I am sorry if these past chapters have been a bit dry or lacking but they've already been done and there's not a lot to work with. Can't wait till I get to write my own bits in again :D_

_Imaginary cookies to:_

_clairlune: Yes, I read your profile, so I know :) Ten is on his way lol_

_xyuffiex: You're welcome!! Thank you for sticking with me. And I'm glad I've made you look closer at the episodes. If only Ten had been there the whole time. I'm such a hopeless romantic ^^;_

_Cynth19: I'm glad you liked it! It was one of my favorites as well until I watched it a billion times lol. Practically got the whole script memorized XD_

_Saucy-Duck: **hugs** thank you for the lovely review. I'm happy that you think I'm good at this :)_

_And no the boy wasn't in it. But then again it did happen behind the scenes so who knows?;)_

_watin77: I already answered your question but keep it a secret okay? Lol_

_And to everyone who puzzled over who 'Luke' and the little boy were I'm sad to say that none of you have guessed right. But you'll find out who exactly they are later anyway. Sometimes I make things too complicated for my own good._

_Hope you all continue to enjoy!_

* * *

_**Now that she's back in the atmosphere**_

_**With drops of Jupiter in her hair**_

_**She acts like summer and walks like rain**_

_**Reminds me that there's time to change**_

**

* * *

**

"_You know the Doctor! You understand him! You will predict his actions!"_

"I don't know!" she said quickly, wondering how on Earth the Doctor would manage to save her when she was surrounded by thousands of Daleks.

"And even if I did, I wouldn't tell ya," she finished spitefully, glaring at the Dalek that drew near even as she pressed herself against the wall.

But it kept coming, it's gravelly voice growing more agitated, _"Predict! Predict! PREDICT!"_

"_Tardis detected in flight!"_another Dalek announced.

_"Launch missiles. Exterminate_," the one in front of her commanded.

She pictured an explosion in her mind,seeing scraps of the Tardis floating in the empty vacuum of space. "You can't!" Rose protested, "The Tardis hasn't got any defenses. You're gonna kill him!"

The Dalek spun it's head to fix her with the blue light she'd always compared to an eye.

_"You have predicted correctly."_

She closed her eyes and saw gold burst beneath her closed lids, a fierce headache entering her mind in a flash. She welcomed the pain this time though, knowing it was nothing to the pain she'd be feeling in a few minutes when the Daleks reported that the missile had found their target and the man she loved and her dearest friend were pronounced dead.

Rose heard the resounding explosion and felt the ship tremble around her.

She peeked through her lashes when she heard the sound of the Tardis, sure she must be going mad, because the Doctor was gone wasn't he? Everything was gone.

But no, the sound grew louder and she gazed around in bewilderment and saw the Daleks doing the same. Cool air swirled around her, pushing her hair from her shoulders and her bangs from her face. She turned, no longer confused when she saw the Doctor standing across from her, flimsy and blurred, but the Doctor all the same.

The world seemed to fall away, leaving only the Doctor and Rose as her eyes drank him in and she saw the obvious relief in his face. He was alive. Her breathing sped up and she wasn't entirely sure why.

Finally, she was inside the Tardis as it finished materializing, the Doctor clear and whole, and she could've cried she was so relived when she saw Jack from the corner of her eye and what was that he had in his hands?

Too late she remembered the Dalek by her side and she looked it over nervously, unsure what to do.

"Rose, get down!" the Doctor yelled, fists clenched by his side, posture tense.

Rose wanted to follow his instruction, she really did, but her legs seemed to have stopped working and so she could only lean forward as her body shuddered, her feet frozen in place.

"Get down!"

She still couldn't get her legs to work so as a compromise she lurched to the side, half falling, and grabbed one of the supports before she could fully hit the ground.

_"Exterminate!"_ the Dalek screeched and fired, a single blue shot hitting the wall of the ship. Jack hefted the large gun in his hands and fired a shot of his own which didn't miss but hit the Dalek straight on, taking off the top half of it's shell.

Smoke gusted into her eyes, stinging and acrid, and she blinked before pulling herself to her feet.

"You did it," she said, her voice breathy and light.

The Doctor walked over to her slowly, the smile she was expecting to see absent, his face serious. He drew her into a hug and she buried her face in his shoulder, content to stay this way for at least the next five minutes. Not that she'd tell him that though. "Feels like I haven't seen you in years," she murmured into his jacket, inhaling a scent that was uniquely Doctorish from the fabric.

"Told you I'd come and get you," he said softly, pulling back, one hand settling on her waist and the other on her arm.

"Never doubted you," she said sincerely, smiling.

"I did," he admitted. "You alright?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Not bad. Been better." His hands dropped from her and she let her own grip slide off as he pulled away to study the Dalek.

"Hey, don't I get a hug?" Jack complained as he walked over, hands on his hips and a pout on his face.

"Oh, come here!" she laughed, holding her arms open.

"I was talking to him." Jack pointed in the Doctor's direction and Rose tried not to notice what Jack predictably had. That the Doctor, oblivious to all but his study of the deceased Dalek, had bent over and was giving them a fantastic view. She could practically hear the leer in Jack's voice and she couldn't blame him.

She faltered, her arms still outstretched, trying to ignore what she could see from the corner of her eye.

Jack laughed and threw his arms around her, hugging her so tightly that her feet left the floor.

"Welcome home."

* * *

The Doctor slammed the door behind him and rested his forehead against it, listening to their cries for his death, hearing blasts that had become all too familiar to him as they tried and failed to exterminate him.

He'd destroyed his home planet, had given up everything and it hadn't made the slightest difference. He was the only one of his kind left yet there were millions of Daleks, insane and flawed maybe, but still essentially monsters, ready and entirely willing to destroy the only planet he had come to think of as his home all over again.

How could he possibly stop it this time?

He tensed as a pair of arms encircled his waist and someone pressed against him from behind.

"I'm so sorry," Rose whispered and he relaxed, exhaling shakily. He allowed his hands to drop down and his arms to lay across hers, hugging her back as much as he could in his position.

"Thank you," he whispered back.

Nobody had been with him last time. But he had Rose now and Jack too.

And for the first time he realized that, while he was the last of his species, he wasn't alone.

* * *

Rose was trying to busy herself with the wiring to make it look like she wasn't interested as Lynda walked up to the Doctor, her shoulders hunched, smiling hesitantly.

"Um, I just wanted to say, thanks, I suppose, and I'll do my best," she smiled widely, revealing gleaming straight teeth, her eyes sparkling as the Doctor stepped closer to her. Rose felt sick.

"Me too," he told her and Rose stiffened when she heard his voice drop a few octaves to become smooth and deep. He leaned closer, as though he were about to give her a kiss on the cheek, which was more than Rose had ever got, she thought bitterly, but Lynda shifted and he paused, awkwardly extending his hand to her instead, which she took, beaming as they both chuckled nervously.

Rose glared down at them, not even bothering to pretend to strip the wires in her hand. Maybe she should just go find Jack and help him if all the Doctor was going to do was flirt.

Lynda walked past the Tardis, throwing one last longing look at the Doctor before she was gone and Rose shifted her glare to the wires in her hand, not wanting the Doctor to notice how much his exchange had affected her.

She smiled a little too brightly as Jack approached and let the wires drop, smoothing her shirt down. The Doctor glanced at her, frowning, and her smile grew wider. Well, let him think she was interested in Jack. Served him right.

"Well it's been fun," Jack stated with a sad smile. "But I guess this is goodbye."

"Don't talk like that," Rose admonished, giving him a warm smile. "The Doctor's gonna do it. You just watch him."

"Rose," he came forward those few inches and cupped her face in his hands, staring into her eyes intensely. "You are worth fighting for."

He kissed her, just a small peck, and his lips were warm.

She glanced at the Doctor, suddenly rigid beside her, and Jack turned away.

"Wish I never met you Doctor," Jack laughed, gazing at the Time Lord fondly.

And, just like her, his hands held the Doctor's face and pulled him into a kiss. "I was much better off as a coward."

His gaze flitted from her to the Doctor and he patted both their shoulders. "See ya in hell."

And then he was off and out the door, leaving Rose to stare at the Doctor.

"He's gonna be alright."

He didn't answer.

"Isn't he?"

* * *

"Suppose..." she began before drifting off and the Doctor decided to leave it be whether she finished her sentence or not.

Which, sadly, didn't last long. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You said 'suppose'."

"Nah, I was just thinkin'. I mean, obviously you can't but, you got a time machine. Why can't you just go back to last week and warn 'em?" she pointed out.

"Soon as the Tardis lands, in that second I become part of events," he explained, "Stuck in the time line."

"Yeah, thought it'd be something like that," Rose sighed.

There was silence as they both worked on their respective wiring before he spoke again, "There's another thing the Tardis could do. I could take us away. We could leave, let history take it's course. We go to 1959."

He wouldn't be able to leave, he knew that, but if Rose wanted to he would take her away first. Even if he didn't want her to go. But it would be far too selfish of him to ask her to stay. He had to keep her safe.

Even from him.

He had to think of a way to get her back home.

"Yeah, but you'd never do that," she replied softly.

"No, but you could ask," he answered. Please ask, Rose. "Never even occurred to you, did it?" To go home and leave me behind.

"Well, I'm just too good," she shrugged, teasing him.

He smiled when a short buzzing sound was emitted. He glanced up, surprised at how fast the wave was charging.

"The Delta wave's started building," he said aloud for Rose's benefit. "How long does it need?"

He shot to his feet and hurried over to the console, throwing himself in one of the chairs as he studied the data.

No, it was going too slowly. It may have started off fast but it was building at only a snails pace and if this kept up by the time it was finished there would be no way of refining the wave for only certain lifeforms. Everyone would die.

"Is that bad?" Rose asked, sounding worried.

He let his head drop another inch, not able to meet her eyes yet because he knew she'd see the hesitation in his face and figure out what he was planning.

"Okay, it's bad. How bad is it?"

He snapped his head up, beaming like he'd just thought of something. "Rose Tyler, you're a genius!" he exclaimed, jumping up and kissing her forehead and she smiled,obviously happy.

"We can do it! If I use the Tardis to cross my own time line," which I've apparently already done in the future, he didn't add, " yes!"

He bolted for the Tardis and ran inside, knowing she would follow.

He went to the console and stared at the screen and, sure enough, Rose ran to the other side.

"Hold that down and keep position!" he ordered, pointing to a lever by her hand.

"What's it do?" she asked breathlessly, holding it down.

Activates Emergency Program One in about a minute. "Cancels the buffers," he told her, " If I'm very clever, and I'm more than clever I'm brilliant, I might just save the world. Or rip it apart."

"I'd go for the first one," she said, sounding nervous.

"Me too! Now I've just got to go and power up the game station. Hold on!"

He fled the Tardis and slowed as soon as he was outside, turning around to get one last look the Tardis. He gave a silent goodbye to his precious machine and heard a responding hum of despair.

He activated the sonic screwdriver and held it out, automatically locking the doors and putting her into flight.

"Doctor what ya doin'?" he heard Rose yell distantly, "Can I take my hand off? It's moving!"

Muffled pounding hit the door, " Doctor, let me out! Let me out! Doctor what have you done?!"

The Tardis faded away and he let his arm drop.

He was alone once more, his Tardis gone forever, and he hated himself just as much as he cared about Rose.

* * *

Rose slammed her hands against the door, desperately trying to make them give way. How could he do this to her?

"_This is Emergency Program One."_

Her breath caught in her throat as she whirled around to see a transparent Doctor staring at her, flickering every few seconds.

"_Rose, now listen. If this message is activated it must mean only one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. I'm dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape."_

"No!" she cried. When had he filmed this? How long had he planned on leaving her behind?

"_And that's okay,"_ the hologram, or whatever it was, continued, "_hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you and that's what I'm doin'. The Tardis is takin' you home."_

"I won't let ya," she vowed, coming up the ramp to stand closer to him, it, whatever. There had to be a way to reverse it.

"_And I bet you're fussing and moaning now. Typical. But just hold on and listen a bit more. The Tardis can never return to me. Emergency Programme One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do. Let the Tardis die. Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it. No one'll even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years the world will move on and the box will be buried. And if you wanna remember me then you can do one thing. That's all. One thing."_

His head turned and fixed his eyes on her and she gasped, surprised.

"Have a good life," he said warmly, and she could suddenly feel him in the room there with her as his voice lost that scratchy quality it had held throughout the recording. "Do that for me Rose. Have a fantastic life."

He smiled and then flickered one last time before disappearing.

"You can't do this to me," she whispered angrily. "You can't!"

She ran for the console, pulling random levers and pressing buttons, past caring if she blew herself up in the process as she tried to duplicate some of what she'd seen the Doctor do.

How could he ask her to just go back and forget him? How could he ask her to let him die?

"Take me back!" she screamed, tears gathering in her eyes, "Take me back!"

Much too soon the noise died down and the column stopped moving. "No..."

She rushed to the door and opened it, hoping that she'd be back at the station and knowing already that she wasn't.

The sky was cloudy and gray, the street she was standing on remarkably peaceful. She hurried back inside, marching back up to the console. "Come on fly!" she urged hysterically, pulling at a lever harshly when it refused to go down. "How do you fly?! Come on, help me!"

She kept at it, twisting this, punching that with the palm of her hand, pulling those, but nothing worked. She paused, her head lowered, her mind blank and took her hands away, hugging herself. Nothing she was doing worked. And it wasn't going to. The Doctor had probably locked the controls or something. She walked out of the Tardis slowly, dejected, and leaned against it's side.

"I knew it!" She heard Mickey yell but she didn't jump, past caring what happened around her anymore, wondering if the Doctor was still alive.

"...and I heard the engines and thought 'there's only one thing that makes a sound like that'."

Rose knew he'd ask her eventually and she'd have to tell him. That the Doctor had sent her back. That he was going to die. She tried to face him, her head lowered, tears burning in her eyes.

"What is it?"

She went into his arms willingly but didn't think she could answer. Not yet.

* * *

"Now, you tell me, God of all Daleks, 'cuz there's one thing I never worked out. The words Bad Wolf. Spread across time and space everywhere. Drawing me in. How'd you manage that?"

_"I did nothing,"_ it rasped, pulsing as it spoke.

"Oh, come on," he complained, "there's no secrets now, your worship."

_"They are not part of my design. This is the truth of God."_

Impossible. He glanced up at the words displayed above him. Who then, had done this?

* * *

"You can't spend the rest of your life thinking about the Doctor," Mickey said hesitantly.

"Well, how do I forget him?" she asked, hugging her knees, feeling empty.

"You gotta start living your own life. You know, a proper life. Like the kind he's never had. The sort of life you …."

Her eyes caught a glimpse of vibrant yellow and she took in the large letters on the asphalt, written in chalk.

BAD WOLF.

She got up, dazed, and walked over to them, glancing at the brick walls as she walked. She froze. Bad Wolf was painted, sprayed, and scratched onto every surface.

"It's over here!" she said, disbelieving, before running up to the wall, her eyes sliding over the faded paint, "It's over here as well!"

"That's been there for years! That's just a phrase, that's just words!"

"I thought it was a warning," she said to herself, bursting with excitement as she thought about the possibilities. Bad Wolf everywhere around the Doctor and her. "Maybe it's the opposite. Maybe it's a message! The same words written down now and two hundred thousand years in the future. It's a link between me and the Doctor!"

"Yeah," Mickey sputtered, "but if it's a message what's it sayin'?"

"It's telling me I can get back!" she yelled over her shoulder, already running back to the Tardis. "Least I can do is help him escape!"

Rose ran as fast as could across the courtyard and could feel herself grinning even as she urged herself to go faster. She could really get back. She could save him.

She whipped past a red brick wall and the man leaning against it watched her go, one half of his mouth tilted up in a smile, spectacles glinting in the weak sunlight, hands shoved in the pockets of his tan coat.

* * *

The whole station shook and the Doctor fought to keep himself from falling over.

They were inside_._

* * *

The middle panel sprang open, the chain going slack to hit the floor. Light spilled out just as it had done before when Margaret had held her by the throat. She stepped over to it and looked down.

It was so _beautiful_. It was time, love, laughter, light, space, joy and sadness. It was everything.

She felt warmth spiral throughout her body as she stared, pain lancing through her head, sharp and sudden, growing unbearable. And then it was gone. She could see everything.

She _was_ everything.

She closed the doors and took off, knowing exactly when to land. In an instant she was there and she could feel him. Her Doctor, who suffered such pain all the time even when she held his hand. And yet, no more. She would end his pain. She would end this war.

The doors flew open and the Doctor threw up his hands, shielding himself from her light.

Her poor Doctor, who had spent so much time alone in the dark with no one there to run with.

She was no longer just Rose Tyler now, she was so much more. She was time itself. She was the Bad Wolf.

Bad Wolf stepped forward and watched the Doctor scramble back, tripping and falling.

"What have you done?" he demanded, shock evident on his suddenly pale face.

"I looked into the Tardis," she informed him, " and the Tardis looked into me."

"You looked into the time vortex! Rose, no one's meant to see that!"

_"This is the abomination!"_

"_Exterminate!"_

Blue light shot forward and she held her hand up, allowing it to hit her palm and dance around her fingers before pushing it back.

The Doctor stared at her, stunned.

"I am the Bad Wolf," she explained, "I create myself."

She lifted her hand once more and gave a languid wave, pulling the letters from the wall to float before her. "I take the words. I scatter them throughout time and space. A message to lead myself here."

"Rose! You've got to stop this! You've got to stop this now!" he begged her.

Why was he calling her 'Rose'? She was Rose no longer.

"You've got the entire vortex running through your head! You're gonna burn!"

But she knew what to say. The words having always having been there, scattered through her thoughts.

"I want you safe. My Doctor," Bad Wolf said, staring down into eyes that spoke of loneliness and time. "Protected from the false god."

_"You cannot hurt me! I am immortal!"_ the creature cried pathetically.

"You are tiny," she declared. Time twisted and turned before her and she could create and destroy, twist and shape everything around her if she wanted to do so.

"I can see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence and I divide them."

She held up her hand once more and watched passively as a Dalek disintegrated before her as she pulled it apart, atom by atom.

"Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies."

Bad Wolf raised her arms and they all began to turn to dust as she watched through the burning gold of her eyes.

"The Time War ends."

She ignored the creature's protest, intent on ridding space of every single one of them.

Blessed silence pervaded when they were finally gone but she held her arms aloft still, enjoying the twisting melody that was life and time inside her.

"Rose, you've done it, now stop. Let go."

"How can I let go of this?" Bad Wolf asked. How could she when it was part of her? "I bring life."

She could see every single human that had died both down below and on the station and she mourned them all. She could hear hungry children crying solar systems away, mother's and father's arguing, birds chirping, lover's laughing and she reveled in them. She could see dawn breaking on another planet, a boyfriend proposing, a nose less dog barking, and she cried at the beauty of it all.

And she could see Jack, her wonderful Jack, lying broken on the floor, eyes closed and chest still. She reached into his essence and gave him a spark, pulling him forcibly back to her. To life.

"But this is wrong! You can't control life and death!"

"But I can," she responded, gazing down into his shocked blue eyes. "The sun and the moon. The day and night."

Her mind was burning, pain eating at every inch of her and suddenly it was too much, all the laughter and love and life slowly killing her. "But why do they hurt?" she asked aloud, confused.

"The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault!" he said, pain evident in his voice. But she was suppose to have taken away his pain. She had ended the war. Why was he still hurting?

"I can see everything," Bad Wolf whispered, "All that is, all that was, all there ever could be."

And she could see her Doctor, her brilliant, lonely Doctor weaving his way through the time lines to get back to her. And she saw Martha and Donna and Astrid and Jenny and so many others.

_"I'm not just a survivor, I'm the winner."_

_"Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"_

_"Get me to the church!"_

_"My name is the Master."_

_"I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do. We're dead."_

_"Looked like a Weevil to me."_

_"What he did was so brave! Because, unlike us, he didn't sign up for it! But he did it for me, because he loves me! And I won't take that away from him."_

_"I was thinking, that box is kinda small but I could squeeze in. Like a stowaway."_

_"I'm broken, Tosh."_

_"When things get bad, tell me."_

_"Mummy!"_

_"There he is! Come here. What have you been up to this time?"_

The Doctor stood up, gazing into her eyes feverishly. "That's what I see," he muttered, "All the time. But doesn't it drive you mad?"

For a moment the pain was so intense she couldn't speak. "My head--"

"Come here."

"--Is killing me."

He grasped her hands in his own and tenderly drew her close. "I think you need a Doctor."

His lips met hers and the pain dwindled as her eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

Rose Tyler sat up slowly, feeling the worst hangover she'd ever had in her life rear up to meet her.

"What 'appened?"

"Don't you remember?" the Doctor said cheerfully and she winced as her headache throbbed in response.

"There was this singing," she said slowly, struggling to remember.

"That's right! I sang a song and the Daleks ran away."

Hadn't she been at home though? How'd she get here? More importantly, how'd the Doctor get here?

"I was at home. No I wasn't; I was in the Tardis and there was this light. I can't remember anything else." She trailed off, wondering why this feeling was so familiar to her. It's not as if she'd forgotten whole chucks of time before.

She glanced up to find him staring at her, an odd look on his face. "Rose Tyler. I was gonna take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'd love it. Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses! Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke and it's still funny."

"Then why can't we go?"

"Maybe you will," he said lightly, laughing. "Or maybe I will. But not like this."

He broke off and stared blankly at the console, a vacant smile in place. He was starting to scare her a bit. Had the Daleks done something to him?

"You're not making sense."

"I might never make sense again! I might have two heads. Or no head. Imagine me with no head. And don't say that's an improvement."

She pulled herself up and brushed off her jacket while he rambled, giving him a fake smile when he turned to look at her.

"It's a bit dodgy, this process," he said plainly, "You never know what you're gonna end up with."

A flash of light seemed to strike him in the stomach and he doubled over, features pinched with agony.

"Doctor!"

"Stay away!" he yelled, his voice strained.

"Doctor, tell me what's going on," she begged.

"I absorbed all the energy of the time vortex and no one's meant to do that," he pushed out past gritted teeth. "Every cell in my body's dying."

"Can't you do something?"

"Yeah, I'm doin' it now. Time Lord's have this little trick. It's sort of a way of cheating death. Except, it means I'm gonna change. And I'm not gonna see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go--"

"Don't say that," Rose pleaded. Please, don't go, she thought desperately.

"Rose," he continued, "before I go I just want to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic."

He beamed at her but she couldn't bring herself to smile back. Not while he was dying right in front of her.

"And do you know what?" he queried, face serious once more.

She shook her head.

"So was I."

That pulled a reluctant smile from her.

And then he burst into light. Half blinded, she grabbed the column next to her and raised her arms, trying to adjust her eyes.

The light disappeared and a stranger stood in the Doctor's place. His large brown eyes gazed at her curiously, taking in her stance by the column. He had thick brown hair that stuck up wildly and was extremely thin. He was gorgeous too, as handsome as the Doctor but in a different, more pretty way, but that wasn't really a thought that was helping right now as he addressed her. Or maybe just talked to himself. It was hard to be sure and she was too shocked to care.

"Hello! Oohm. New teeth. That's weird. So where was I? Oh, that's right! Barcelona!"

He grinned and his eyes lit up with excitement.

* * *

_Yay another one down. I apologize for any errors_

_review? Pretty please? Pretty please with sprinkles and cherries on top?_

_Song I was listening to: Drops of Jupiter by Train._


	26. Step One, You Say We Need To Talk

_For some reason it was incredibly difficult to get myself writing this. I don't really know why though I was trying to do some background research into the Doctor's companions. Where I ran into my first wall because there are tons of classic episodes. If my characterization of the classic companions is off then I apologize. Considering my A.D.D (and yes, I do actually have it; ask my doctor) I'm surprised I was even able to focus enough to make an effort._

_That said, it's time to thank all my lovely reviewers :)_

_ElizabethGMontgomery_

_Miss Jones_

_IsLeptSOLongWItHoUTYoU_

_Nyah86_

_Saucy-Duck (me? Have power over the reader? Yeah, right XD)_

_xyuffiex_

_watin77_

_Cynth19_

_Clairlune_

* * *

_**Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend**_

_**Somewhere along in the bitterness**_

_**And I would have stayed up with you all night**_

_**Had I known how to save a life**_

**

* * *

**

It isn't fair. The only thought that remained constant in his head as he stared blankly at the controls, Rose lying unconscious on the grating across from him. It _isn't_ fair.

He'd only just met her and while he'd known as some point that he was going to regenerate, had even seen who he was going to become, he'd foolishly thought he'd have more time with her. More than this, anyway.

It isn't _fair._

He'd never see Rose again. Not like this. Never get the chance to see another world and laugh, fix a planet, stop a war, start a nation, see Rose's smile, help a family, dance with Rose, see a new star, hug Rose--

Stop it, he told himself firmly. He needed to stop thinking about it. He couldn't get rid of the vortex energy that was pulsing through his body. There was no way to save himself and he'd only make it harder for her if he let her see how difficult this was for him. That he was dying.

She was only a few feet away and he wanted to go to her, to crouch down and embrace her even though she couldn't return the gesture. He wanted to hold her hand one last time.

The Doctor stayed where he was and let his head dip down. Any moment now and he'd be gone, a manic pretty boy taking his place to run off with his--

His what?

Rose Tyler may be his companion but nothing more, no matter that his future regeneration was bent on destroying the timelines to have her and no matter that he desperately wanted to help him because he cared for her so much that sometimes it physically hurt.

"What 'appened?"

He glanced to the side and saw Rose's head swivel from side to side as she took in her surroundings and gingerly sat up.

"Don't you remember?"

"It's like...there was this singing," she said hesitantly, face scrunching into confusion.

He pushed away the not entirely unwelcome thought that she looked adorable like that and tried to muster a cheerful tone, "That's right, I sang a song and the Daleks ran away."

She ignored his comment and continued musing out loud, staring at some point on the floor as she spoke, "I was at home. No, I wasn't... I was in the Tardis and there was this light and I can't remember anything else."

His skin was aching uncomfortably and he saw his hand take on a faint golden glow and tried to shake off his panic. Not long now.

He tore his gaze away and watched Rose bite her lip before meeting his stare. He tried to smile but it felt more like a grimace.

"Rose Tyler. I was gonna take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'd love it, fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses! Imagine how many times you end up telling that joke and it's still funny."

The Doctor realized he was rambling and cut himself off, averting his eyes. He needed to explain it to her, to make her understand that she wouldn't ever see him again yet he'd still be here but his worry was twisting his speech and he was well aware that he sounded at least half mad.

"Then why can't we go?"

"Maybe you will," he answered, "maybe I will. But not like this."

"You're not making sense," Rose protested, standing and gazing at him with concern.

"I might never make sense again," the Doctor said seriously, chuckling though it wasn't remotely funny, no longer caring that he sounded insane. He certainly felt it. "I might have two heads. Or no head. Imagine me with no head and don't say that's an improvement."

Right, time to shut up Doctor, he thought when he saw she started to look both annoyed and a little scared.

"But it's a bit dodgy, this process," he continued and Rose's whole body went still, the smile on her face frozen. "You never know what you're gonna end up with."

Pain, an intense burst of it, hit his stomach as his cells started to change and he doubled over, gasping with the effort of keeping himself upright.

"Doctor!" she cried and, obviously panicking, ran forward.

"Stay away!" he shouted, clenching his teeth as he tried to talk through the pain.

"Doctor, tell me what's going on," Rose begged, eyes wide with fear.

"I absorbed all the energy of the time vortex and no one's meant to do that. Every cell in my body is dyin'."

"Can't you do something?"

"Yeah, I'm doin' it now. Time Lord's have this little trick. It's sorta a way of cheating death. Except, it means I'm gonna change and I'm not gonna see you again. Not like this, not with this daft old face and before I go--"

"Don't say that," she interrupted softly.

"--Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you that you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what?"

She shook her head minutely, staring at him apprehensively.

"So was I," he beamed, drawing a reluctant smile from Rose.

All he knew then was pain as his body burned-- _Rose_-- and all he could see was a bright golden white light that seared his eyes even as they changed shape-- _It isn't fair--_ his body was changing but the pain was just so intense—_Rose, I lo--_

And then it was gone and he blinked, dizzy from the sudden loss of it.

The first thing he registered was a pretty blonde girl staring at him incredulously, hugging herself against a support column and looking for all the world as though she was trying to disappear.

Funny how he couldn't recall her name, but then he couldn't seem to remember much at all as he took his first breath and decided to break the ice.

"Hello. Oomph. New teeth. That's weird," he mused. The girl stayed silent and really, it was a shame he didn't know her name but what was the last thing he was talking about, anyway?

He hated it when his regeneration interrupted a conversation. It was very rude.

_Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona._

"Now where was I? Oh, that's right! Barcelona!"he grinned.

Memories flooded his mind, each thrown into stark relief as though they'd only just happened. Facts, figures, places and names all becoming a jumbled mess in his mind as he walked over to the controls and started setting coordinates for Barcelona.

"Six p.m...."

"_Grandfather!" His lovely Susan, so bright and beautiful._

"Tuesday..."

"_I'm not the tea lady." Jo Grant, more than a bit absentminded but confident and brave nonetheless._

"Tober..."

"_I thought all this might give me a good story. I'm a journalist." Sarah Jane Smith, fiercely independent and so very curious._

"Five thousand and six..."

"_Regenerating. Do you like it?" Romana, always ready to give him a piece of her mind yet soft hearted and a little naïve._

"On the way to Barcelona!"

None of the names or faces he saw in his mind seemed to fit the young woman before him. Places and times crowded his head as he struggled to recall her.

_Cybermen, U.N.I.T, the Shadow Proclamation, the Medusa Cascade, Terminus, Savartos..._

"Now then," the Doctor said, turning to smile at the spooked girl. His hearts seemed to fill with something he couldn't name as he stared at her and gave her a fond smile. He didn't know who she was but he wanted to. "What do you think? No, no, no, no, don't tell me."

_Leela, Peri, Mel, Ace, Grace...._

"Let's see: two legs, two arms, two hands," he said aloud, gazing at himself in contemplation, before grasping his wrist and gently rotating it, "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubicle."

His hands flew to his hair and swept through the thick locks. "Hair! I'm not bald! Ooh, ooh! Big hair. Sideburns! I've got sideburns!"

The Doctor forgot his quest for a moment in lieu of this enormously important fact and couldn't keep the enthusiasm from his voice. His whole body seemed to thrum with energy and he wanted to go, to take off and visit planets he'd never seen, to run until he was ragged from exhaustion.

"Ooh, really bad skin," he said sulkily before patting his stomach, "Little bit thinner. That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it." He paused as something grabbed his attention. "I have got a mole. I can feel it, between my shoulder blades, there's a mole. That's alright, love the mole. Go on then, tell me. What do you think?"

_Nestene Consciousness, getting chips, Charles Dickens, the Game Station, Reapers, Slitheen in Downing Street, and..._

_...**Rose Tyler.**_

Warmth filled him and his smile softened. Rose. How could he have ever forgotten her? She was--

_Absolutely fantastic._

_--_brilliant. Compassionate, loyal, and brave. His plus one.

Who was glaring at him distrustfully. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"No, where is he? Where's the Doctor? What have you done to him?!" Her voice rose with her anger until she was almost shouting but he could hear the fear too. No longer scared for him, she was scared _of_ him. And that shouldn't hurt as much as it did.

"You saw me," he said, gesturing over his shoulder, " I changed; right in front of you."

Rose frowned, inching forward slightly, eyes raking over him. " I saw him sort of... explode and then you took his place. Like a transmat or a body swap or something."

She walked forward slowly, looking as though she would bolt if he made any sudden moves, until she was in front of him. She pushed him, the palm of her hand lightly touching his chest before retreating several paces away. "You're not fooling me."

"I've seen all sorts of things," she continued, "Nano genes, Gelf, Slitheen."

Rose paused, looking at him in horrified fascination, "Oh my god, are you Slitheen?"

"I am not a Slitheen," he clarified, trying to keep a straight face.

"Send him back!" she demanded furiously, " I'm warning you! Send the Doctor back, right now!"

"Rose," he replied desperately, "It's me. Honestly, it's me. I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell. But, I'm still me."

"But you can't be," she breathed.

_Bursting through the double doors and seeing her, head bent, eyes clenched shut. "Run," he told her, grabbing her hand and seeing warm brown eyes._

"Then how could I remember this?" he asked her, coming forward to stand before her, invading her personal space. "Very first word I ever said to you? Trapped in that cellar, surrounded by shop window dummies, oooh such a long time ago. I took your hand," he reached for her hand slowly and clasped it in his own, squeezing reassuringly, "and I said one word. Just one word. I said, _'Run.'_."

Rose's eyes widened, glistening slightly with unshed tears. "Doctor?" she whispered.

The Doctor smiled, relieved. "Hello!"

She exhaled shakily and he slipped his hand from hers to race around the console. "And we never stopped, did we?" he exclaimed, "Running, running, running," he flipped a switch in time to each 'run', "and that one time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives."

He hopped in place, grinning. "Yeah. All that hopping. Remember hopping for your life? Eh? Hop?No?"

His energy withered away as she stared at him, not answering.

"Can you change back?" Rose asked.

"Do you want me to?"

"Yeah." No hesitation whatsoever, quick and final.

"Oh." How quick she was to cast him away.

"Can you?"

"No," he finished quietly.

Silence filled the room before he could bring himself to ask, "Do you wanna leave?"

A pause, then, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No!" Calm down, he thought, trying to sweep the picture of her walking out the door from his head. "But, your choice. If you want to go home."

She said nothing and he turned to the controls, his hands flying over them with practiced ease. "Cancel Barcelona. Change to: London, the Powell Estate. Ah, let's say twenty fourth of December. Consider it a Christmas present."

Rose walked forward slowly until she was beside him and glanced at the column as it whisked up and down. "I'm... going home?"

"Up to you. Back to your mum. It's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast. No, Christmas. Turkey! Although, having met your mother, nut loaf would be more appropriate."

A small smile curled her lips, though she obviously tried to fight it and looked down, one hand reaching out to touch the console.

"Was that a smile?" he teased.

Immediately it dropped. "No," she lied.

"That was a smile," he insisted.

"No it wasn't."

"You smiled."

"No, I didn't," she said in a falsely careless tone, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, all I did was change, I didn't--"

"_You need to listen to me."_

Pain hit him suddenly, wiping his mind blank. "-- flahh!"

"What?" Rose questioned, obviously confused and wary.

"I said, I didn't--"

"_Because you have a decision to make."_

How could he have possibly forgotten the damage his future self was wreaking? He could feel Time bending and twisting unnaturally around himself and Rose and it _hurt_. Energy swelled within him. He was still technically regenerating and the energy sought out the pain he was feeling, trying to rid him of it. But it couldn't because it was in his mind. Not good.

"Uh oh!"

"Are you all right?"

He breathed out slowly and a golden wisp left his mouth, burning his throat as it exited.

"What's that?"

"Oooh, the change is going a bit wrong. I'm all-- foofah!" The Doctor doubled over and his mind was splitting in two, he could feel it.

"Look, maybe we should go back. Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do!"

"Nah," the Doctor said dismissively, the momentary absence of pain making him giddy, "he's busy! He's got plenty to do, rebuilding the Earth!"

A switch caught his attention-- "Ooh, haven't used this one in years."-- and before he could stop himself he flicked it. The Tardis lurched, throwing him against the console.

"What you doin'?" Rose shouted indignantly.

"Putting on a bit of speed!" he shouted back. He felt like he was on fire again.

"_But you have to make a choice because I can't."_

"That's it! Come on, what a beautiful ship. Come on, faster! Thatta girl!" His fingers found switches and buttons he hadn't used for years and wouldn't if he was in his right mind. "Faster?! Wanna break the time vortex?!"

"Stop it!" Rose screamed, plainly terrified.

"_She is worth fighting for."_

"Oh, don't be so dull! Let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" His hand violently punched through the air of it's own volition and his vision cleared for a second. "The regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself."

He lowered his head, clenching his teeth against the urge to scream. "Oh, my head... faster! Let's open those engines!"

A shrill bell rang through the air and his lips twisted into a smile.

"What's that?"

"Crash land!" he responded happily, laughing.

"Well, then do something!" she yelled, clutching the console as the ship rocked around them.

"Too late!" he giggled, "Out of control! Oooh, I love it! Hot dog!"

"You're gonna kill us!"

"Hold on tight! Here we go! Christmas Eve!"

The Tardis bucked and swayed violently before settling suddenly with a bump. Rose stumbled and lost her footing, hitting the floor with her hands outstretched to break her fall.

The Doctor grabbed her arm and hoisted her up on unsteady feet before bolting to the doors and throwing one of them open. He popped his head out and gazed around curiously. "Here we are, then! London, Earth, the solar system, isn't it?"

He took a few steps forward, pain and excitement making it difficult to breathe. He halted when a vision of pink and yellow met his inquisitive gaze. "Jackie!" He looked to her side and saw, "Mickey!"

"Blimey! No, no, hold on!" he begged, back tracking, "There was something I had to say. Something I had to tell you." He circled around them and grasped them both by the shoulders. Jackie flinched. "No, hold on. Shh. Oh!" He beamed brightly at them both. "Merry Christmas!"

He couldn't stop himself from falling or his sight growing dim, but before everything went black, he looked across the courtyard and met a pair of familiar brown eyes belonging to a face he now wore.

* * *

"Anything else he's got two of?" Jackie's curious tone filtered through his groggy mind and he found himself almost happy that he couldn't make a sound because he was pretty sure he would've squeaked or made some other undignified noise.

"Leave him alone!"

Ah. Good old, Rose. She'd protect him from her mum and slapping, he thought tiredly as he drifted off.

His throat was aching.

* * *

He was gaining a little strength now, enough to sit up in bed at least. He'd heard the front door close not long ago and guessed that Rose had left to go shopping with Rickey.

Of whom he was not jealous. Even a little.

He could hear Jackie nattering away on the phone in the next room and managed to not only sit up but twist his torso so that he could see out the window. He had to warn Rose... when she came back... that there might be....

He gazed down at the street and saw himself standing below, wearing a blue pinstriped suit. He looked up and winked at him.

What little strength he had drained away and he fell back into bed, his mind going soothingly blank.

* * *

The tenth Doctor sighed as he stared up at the window. He certainly didn't envy his younger self and winced as he remembered the burning pain of regeneration.

He was still traveling, of course. His past self didn't need him following every move he made and he was anxious enough that he welcomed even the tiniest distraction. Although saving Christmas from a human- Cyberman hybrid and flying a bus through a wormhole weren't exactly what he had in mind, they were normal enough considering his record.

He shivered and watched his breath fan away in little puffs of white. He really should get back to his Tardis before Rose happened along. She'd be back any minute now.

He strode down the road at a leisurely pace and, despite his growing impatience and worry that his plan would come crashing down around him, he felt relieved here, in a time where he knew Rose was still happy and clueless about what was to come.

He turned the corner and froze, eyes taking in every detail of the stranger leaning against his Tardis.

The young man had dark brown hair that was swept to the side, revealing a pale face and sharp dark eyes. He was thin, sporting a pair of black jeans and a dark sweater under a black suit jacket.

The stranger blinked as he returned his gaze, eyes sweeping over the Doctor in what he could only describe as an apprehensive and melancholy way.

The Doctor resumed his walk until he was standing before the man. "Who are you?"

The young man grinned and the Doctor noted that, despite his features being a bit broad and sallow, it gave him a boyish charm and almost instantaneous trust.

"A messenger. You could call me Christmas future, if you will, considering where and when we are."

It took a moment before the Doctor realized that he was smiling with an ease he hadn't felt in a long time.

"You don't exactly look like a regular ghost. And trust me, I've seen 'ghosts' before."

The man shrugged, his grin growing wider. "Ah yes. The Gelth, am I right?"

The Doctor felt as though he been punched and his smile faded away. "Excuse me?"

"Gelth. Christmas, 1869. Met Charles Dickens. Nice but a bit too stubborn."

The Doctor carefully appraised the man, taking in details he hadn't seen before. The man gave off an air of confidence and carelessness and his eyes were ancient and gleaming with knowledge and the same hidden away coldness he saw in his own on a regular basis. The man stood still, letting him look.

"You have to stop this, Doctor. She's where she's meant to be. You know that."

"But I can't," the Doctor whispered. "I need someone."

The young man smiled sadly. "That someone can't be her."

"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked past stiff lips.

The young man sighed. "I'm not entirely sure how to answer your question. We both know time is in flux. Every now and then you change things, usually for the better. Save someone that would have been lost, stop certain people from gaining power, that sort of thing. And sometimes you can change big events. But not those certain fixed points, Doctor. You're timeline and hers are... unstable at best, even before you decided to change it all."

"Why are you here?" the Doctor repeated, dread growing in his stomach.

"Because this time you need someone to stop you. Someone who understands better than anyone. That someone is me," the man explained gently. "You have to stop. Best case scenario, time bends around you both and you might succeed. At worst, time snaps. And then everything is gone."

The man walked forward and let his hand rest on the Doctor's shoulder, his other hand pushed inside the pocket of his jeans.

"I'm not ordering you or warning you. Yet. I'm asking you. Please, let her go."

The Doctor turned his head and met the man's gaze and could see time swirling in their depths.

"Now," he said lightly, in a deceivingly pleasant tone, "I really must be getting back to Amy. See you later, Doctor."

The eleventh Doctor walked away and didn't look back, humming an upbeat tune as he went.

Ten trembled for a moment, shaken to his core, before unlocking the doors to the Tardis and rushing inside.

A moment later and an odd grinding sound filled the street as the police box vanished, leaving no sign that it had ever occupied the peaceful street.

* * *

_Goodness that took some time. Let's see if we can get this story finished before season 5 can we? And of course I had to throw eleven in there ;) We haven't seen too much of his personality yet so I'm taking a stab in the dark but then it is all just fiction anyway. The outfit I had him wore you can google and I chose it because it looked more fitting than the dorky 1950's professor getup I saw him in. What else? Oh, some of you may be asking, if Ten is changing everything then why doesn't Eleven have Rose with him. Well all I can offer is that time is in flux. The tenth is taking a route he couldv'e took and eleven is on the path the Doctor will be should it fail. Wibbly wobbly and all that._

_But Eleven isn't the only surprise I'll have popping up. Bet no one will guess who's next ;)_

_Song I was listening to: How To Save A Life by The Fray_


End file.
